From Beagle
by Pony Juice
Summary: Vie Ghoul's Reino is in the particular mood to troll his favorite girl - Mogami Kyoko, as well as to punish Japan's number one actor and the man who is hopelessly in love with Kyoko for scaring poor Reino. And he's doing this by concocting a lust potion.
1. Moko's Magical Chocolates

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat! That honor goes to Nakamura Yoshiki.**

Of course she was a little suspicious of the little box of chocolate left in her room, allegedly sent by her beloved Moko-san. However, it was White Day and Kyoko was use to Moko's tough love. Moko-san would be quite embarrassed to hand Kyoko a box of chocolates in return. The image of a flustered Kotonami Kanae was far too cute and Kyoko began to squirm and gush on the floor.

After her little fit, Kyoko wondered how the chocolate magically appeared in her room. The owners of Daruma-ya were not given anything by anyone to give to their residential psuedo-daughter.

So how exactly had Kanae delivered the chocolates so discreetly? Was she a fairy who flitted through Kyoko's window and left the chocolates? Or a foreign princess who rode to Kyoko's window atop of an elephant and told the elephant to put the chocolates in her room with its trunk?

Kyoko fingered the box gingerly. The box didn't seem like it had been cradled in an elephant's trunk.

It was lemon-colored with a salmon pink sash the curled and blossomed on the top. Kyoko's heart melted at the details Moko-san had put into returning her chocolates from Valentine's Day (or Vain-Day, as Kyoko bitterly called it). The box was just so _pretty._ She couldn't bring herself to open it.

Hesitantly, she slipped the ribbon off without untying it. She lifted the yellow lid and and the heart-shaped truffles greeted her with love and pretty little decorations.

"Moko-san!" Mogami Kyoko frothed from the mouth. Her eyes became gooey and huge, watery, with blush streaks on her cheeks, hands clasped in joy, mouth shaped like a '3'.

She carefully lifted a chocolate, and bit into what appeared to be the lovely chocolate (home made!) her aloof Moko-san had made for her.

Boy, was she wrong.

* * *

><p>"How exactly do you know Kotonami Kanae?" Reino's long-haired companion asked lightly. Though, he knew his bandmate long enough to know he wouldn't be getting a straight answer.<p>

"I have connections," Reino said vaguely.

The former smirked. "I'm sure you do."

Reino let a slip of a smile reach his face. He could only imagine the chaos his potioned chocolates would unleash on Kyoko and the notorious Tsuruga Ren. Oh, how he wished he could see it unravel! He would, eventually. A little touch from Kyoko and all the events of her day would be presented to him.

Besides, he reasoned with an indignant sniff, it'd be a lot less frightening to touch Kyoko than the lion.

* * *

><p>The effect of the chocolate went unnoticed by Kyoko. Though she did feel a little...what was the word? <em>Reborn. <em>Suddenly the clothing in her wardrobe were to cutesy and modest. However, her 'Natsu' clothes were absolutely appetizing to her.

A tight black pencil skirt wore her trim little waist, lining her hips and lending to her long, slender legs. She wore a red blouse (red was an aphrodisiac, after all) tucked into the skirt, with ruffles at the chest. She left the top buttons undone, to allow a bit of her slight cleavage. Black tights followed leopard-patterned heels.

She mussed her short, orange hair in a sexy, messy way. With 'Natsu' make-up, Kyoko combed mascara through her lashes, lined her eyes, and glossed her lips.

There.

Although, she mused with chagrin, this skirt was too long.

It was only a little above the knee!


	2. Kyoko the Sex Kitten

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat! That honor goes to Nakamura Yoshiki.**

Tsuruga Ren was on his way to picking up the girl he was in love with.

Unfortunately, it wasn't "picking up" in that sense.

No, they were carpooling.

His matchmaking manager, Yukihito Yashiro was happily seated besides him.

"Kyoko will be absolutely thrilled! I can see it now...Kyoko, staring deep into your eyes with _that _face. Thanking you profusely and telling you that you shouldn't have gone through so much trouble. 'Especially not since Princess Rosa; oh this is too much, Tsuruga-san!' she'll say. 'But Kyoko-chan, I love you so. I would walk to the ends of the earth for you. I'd sacrifice myself to a ritualistic, volcano-tripping for you, anything for my Kyo-"

"Yashiro-san, it's nothing that extravagent," Ren sighed, though a genuine smile lit up his masterfully crafted face. Yes, the boy had outdone himself this time. Princess Rosa had taken a while to come up with, but this was in return for the dessert Kyoko had specifically made for him for Valentine's Day. Not to mention, he had stolen a kiss from her cheek that day.

Today, he had plans for those lips.

Of course, after he had given her that brilliant gift.

That brilliant gift being a Princess-Prince photoshoot, starring Kyoko as the beautiful, faraway princess and Ren as the strapping Prince in shining armor.

Of course, she couldn't refuse. Especially since the photos were to going to be used for her publication. She never turned down chances to make herself more known, especially if it called for her to be professional alongside her sempai.

It hadn't been too difficult for the photographer to say yes to the Tsuruga Ren, the James Dean of Japan, for a photo shoot with the up-and-coming Kyoko.

Kyoko would have two dreams coming true.

And Ren would have his dream of kissing the Princess as the Prince.

Yes, he beamed, he had done it this time.

Yashiro smiled for his younger charge as they pulled up to the Daruma-ya. However, his smile turned into a gape as he saw how Kyoko looked.

A cleavage-baring red blouse, a skin-tight black skirt, tights, and animal-print heels. Not to mention the make-up and bed-head hair.

Good God.

Kyoko had turned into a Sex Kitten.

Yashiro risked a look at Ren.

If Yashiro was shocked, Ren was stunned. He froze, eyes widened, fists clenched on the driving wheel.

Ren's eyes looked for his once innocent, sweet, and chaste Kyoko, but only found this...this...tease strutting to his car.

His eyes fell immediately at her creamy chest and the long, shapely legs in black pantyhose. And that sultry smile...

His pants suddenly felt too tight.

"Good morning, Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-san," Kyoko slid in to the back seat, completely oblivious to her sempai's pained face and his manager's horror-stricken look her way.

"Um...Kyoko-chan...you do know we're headed to the Dark Moon set, right? Not Box 'R'?"

Kyoko let out a charming little laugh. "Don't be silly, Yashiro-san. I know. I was just...dressing it up a little. It is White Day after all,"

"Don't worry, Yashiro-san. Actors sometimes get stuck in certain roles. Mogami-san will snap out of the character of Natsu soon," Ren reassured him, though he was saying it more to himself. _She better not always dress so sexy every White Day. _

"Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko pouted a glossly bottom lip, crossing her arms under her chest. Ren's eyes followed the rise of her breasts. "I'm not playing Nacchan! I like wearing things like this,"

Ren began to pull away from Daruma-ya, eyes hardening. "The Mogami-san I know doesn't wear such provacative clothing. Especially to the job that doesn't require such clothing. Mio is not that kind of girl,"

"Tsu-ru-ga-sa-n," Kyoko purred, placing her hand on the shoulder of Ren's seat, nails brushing against his neck, summoning goosebumps. "Don't treat me like a child,"

"Don't act like one," he snarled.

"Do I look like a child?"

Heavens above, did this sex-kitten look like a fucking child? No, no, a thousand times, no! Ren was inches away from stopping the car, finding the nearest Love Hotel, and fucking Kyoko's brains out. She had no right to parade around looking so...ravishing. Especially around other men. Ren could only imagine the ocean of drool the men on the set of 'Dark Moon' would produce, and it made him gnash his teeth.

She knew she had done it when she delivered that line. Her demons were going nuts, bathing in Ren's anger. This time, he didn't bother to hide it at all. He was raging, Kyoko knew, but this new-found confidence made her think she could slip past Ren's notorious anger.


	3. Does this rag smell like chloroform?

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat! That honor goes to Nakamura Yoshiki.**

"L-Looks like we're here, Kyoko-chan," Yashiro-san tried to lessen the severity of the atmosphere. Ren looked lethal, while Kyoko looked like a rebellious teenager who had successfully enraged her parent.

The party entered the set, and Ren's prediction quite unfortunately came true.

"That couldn't possibly be Kyoko-chan!"

"Damn, her legs stretch for miles!"

"She's hot."

"Oi, oi! Kyoko-chan!"

"That top is so cute...I wonder where she got it from..."

"Baby got back indeed..."

Wolf whistles from the males made Ren's eye twitch.

The gentleman smile appeared, and Ren shielded Kyoko's body with his. Even without Kyoko's ability to sense Ren's anger, the boys couldn't help but shudder.

Kyoko's demons were in heaven.

Momose-san and Director Ogata were flushed and flustered, casting nervous looks at everyone and averting their eyes from _this_ Kyoko.

"Come, Mogami-san, we need to go get changed and ready. Behave, yes?" His smile left her confidence wavering. She was in deep shit now. Ren possessively grabbed her waist and towed her away and out of sight.

"Y-Yes, Tsuruga-san. I apologize for making such a commotion,"

"It's fine, Mogami-san. Please remember to protect yourself," He said with the gentleman smile pasted on. _For your sake and mine. _

"Yes." She nodded rapidly, confidence buried six feet under.

Ren softened. It seemed as if the feisty Sex Kitty had been subdued. He sighed in relief.

* * *

><p>Kyoko slumped in front of her dressing mirror. She couldn't understand what was happening all of a sudden. She was prepared to play Mio, with the scar and the black wig. Tsuruga-san was accusing her of being Natsu, yet she felt like Kyoko. So she dressed a little bit...mature today. So what?<p>

And all the guys had called her beautiful and offered her strange things, like "going out" and such.

She needed to draw Mio.

Mio.

Mio.

Mio?

What was this! Kyoko's heart began to thud. Shit, why couldn't she get into character?

All she could think about was Tsuruga Ren.

Her body was humming, singing praises for his American height, his pretty eyes caged in sooty lashes, his artfully crafted face, his perfect hair and body. His genuine smiles.

Tsuruga Ren.

That time when he almost kissed her as Katsuki.

That time when he did kiss her...on the cheek, in thanks.

That time he hugged her. He smelled so nice, felt so warm.

Tsuruga Ren was a wonderful man. The lust potion had convinced her of this much, but it these thoughts were locked up in her subconscious as well.

"Mogami-san?" A light knock on the door sounded and Kyoko jumped at his lovely voice, striking chords in her heart.

"Tsuruga-san?" She breathed and flung the door open.

He was Katsuki, with that sexy teacher look.

Lord, he was too much.

Her skin was buzzing and tingling and her nose was hypersensitive to his cologne and warmth.

Ren noticed Kyoko's glassy eyes and was dumbfounded at her lovestruck expression.

This was certainly...not Mio. Mio hated Katsuki, right?

So why was Mogami Kyoko making eyes at him?

Not that he minded...but once she snapped out of whatever was wrong with her and remembered that Ren had done anything to take advantage of her, she'd never go near him.

"M-Mogami-san, is something the matter?" Oh, what a man he was. Since when did he stutter? Damn her and her 'Cutie Honey' face.

"Everything is fine because you are here, Ren-cha-n~," Kyoko cooed. Never breaking fan-girl eye contact, she pressed her tiny hands on his chest and rested her head on his chest, listening to his sped up heart beat.

"Mogami-san! Y-You are an actor, yet you are not in character yet. We have only five minutes till filming. Please get yourself together..." His pleas fell on deaf ears. Even he couldn't stand his excuses.

Her little head resting against him was bliss. Ren's hands automatically wrapped around her waist, holding her to him. He didn't deserve her, he knew. But to hell with it! If he was getting lucky breaks from the gods, he'd take them.

"Ren-chan," She sighed.

He was going to go into cardiac arrest. Twice. She said his _first name twice with -chan_!

"Kyoko-chan," He murmured into her hair.

They held each other until Kyoko slithered out of his hug and hooked her arms around his neck and jumped him.

She hopped up and smashed her lips against his. Ren's wide eyes were the last thing she saw before she closed hers to enjoy the feeling of his lips against hers.

Ren was stiff at first, but he began to respond by lightly pressing his lips to hers.

And then he remembered.

One, he was at work. Anyone at anytime could walk in on him reenacting one of his (wet) dreams.

Two, Kyoko was not in the right state of mind. There was no way Miss-I-Hate-Love would willingly glomp and kiss him - her Sempai - unless some magical force was at work.

Three, Kyoko would hate him for this later.

And four, they were expected at the set in less than five minutes. Less than five minutes for both of them to collect themselves and become Mio and Katsuki, respectively.

So with whatever control he still had, Ren gently unhooked her octopus arms from his neck and pulled away.

"Ren-chan?"

"Mogami-san," He said firmly, inhaling deeply and bringing himself back to reality. "Did you eat anything strange today?"

"Anything strange? Um...I had a light breakfast and then I ate Moko-san's chocolates. That's all," Kyoko listed on her fingers.

Ren clicked his tongue. So she hadn't eaten anything strange. He doubted Kotonami Kanae would poison her friend's chocolates, nor did the Taisho or Okami seem like they had malicious intent.

So what was making her this way? Perhaps he was right in thinking that Natsu _had _taken over and Kyoko wasn't aware of it.

Ren let out a suffering sigh.

"Mogami-san, until you are in a better set of mind...it'd be best for you not to approach me," Ren said, chest clenching. He'd just have to schedule the Princess-Prince photoshoot to a later time.

"B-But Ren-cha-n~" Kyoko whimpered. "Why? Do you hate me that much?"

"Don't you ever think that," He gave her a murderous glare. "I do not hate you. Quite the opposite, actually,"

"Then why do you want to avoid me?"

_I don't want to be charged for sexually assaulting a minor. _

"I like spending time with Mogami-san, not Natsu," He said weakly.

"But I told you! I am Kyoko! Not Nacchan," Kyoko cried.

No, no, no! Not the Cutie Honey face _and _tears! She was going to kill him.

"Please, Mogami-san. We have less than a minute to get to the set. Collect yourself and find Mio. I'll see you on the set," Ren blotted her tears with his thumb, offering a weak smile and escaped.

His heart was throbbing. He felt like a horny, love-sick teenager again. Ren easily found Katsuki. It was one of those ironic things in life; how he played a character who paralleled his love life. He and Katsuki both suffered from conflicting feelings for teenage girls.

Ren sighed for what seemed to be the umpteenth time this day.

Upon returning to the set, Director Ogata and the rest of the staff looked for his kohai.

"Where is Kyoko-san?" Director Ogata asked quietly, still pink in the face.

"She is getting into character," Ren replied stiffly, and made sure his rage aura reached the eager men awaiting to see_ his_ Kyoko.

"I really didn't know Kyoko-chan could look like that. She looks like Nacchan, right?"

"I know. I watch 'Box R' just to see her act Natsu. It's hot."

"Gentlemen," Tsuruga Ren flashed his scary smile. "If you'll kindly let me pass," He motioned to the gushing men to move aside so he could get to the set.

"Y-Yes, Tsuruga-san." They scurried away.

Ren scowled.

Thankfully, Mio was a lot more modest, so they boys wouldn't be too crazy about humping her leg.

Especially since Mio would be more likely to dissect any man who looked her way.

"Ah, she's here," Momose-san smiled at Kyoko, or rather, Mio.

"Good," Director Ogata said. "Now that everyone is ready, let's begin!"

* * *

><p>Kotonami Kanae was on a mission. She had swallowed her pride before - nay, she had brutally butchered it, chewed it up, swallowed it, melted it in her stomach acids, and then threw it back up that time when she went through a million stores for that ridiculous princess make-up for Kyoko.<p>

And now she was giving her White Day chocolate.

Whatever. She had to admit, the cute, star-struck look on Kyoko's face when she recieved gifts from 'Moko-san' made her smile.

Now all Kanae had to do was hunt the girl down. She had, embarrassingly enough, stalked Kyoko's schedule. Early in the day, she was filming for 'Dark Moon'. After that, she was filming for 'Box R'. Then she would be working with Bridge Rock. Kanae was planning to catch her before she was off to film 'Box R'.

Kanae had planned it out. She would avoid eye contact with her best friend, and shove the box at her.

That worked just fine.

She sighed, waiting for Kyoko to leave the set of 'Dark Moon' to dash off to 'Box R' outside of the studio.

Kyoko would be out in less than ten minutes, but Kotonami Kanae was never known for her patience.

"Waiting for someone?" A voice whispered alarmingly close to her ear.

Kanae jumped, startled beyond belief. She turned to find a smirking Visual-Kei musician, with gray hair and red-onion eyes.

"Who the hell are you? Mo! Don't scare me like that!" Kanae snapped, putting distance between her and the idiotic creep.

"Me? Just a friend of Kyoko's," He replied breezily.

Just a friend? Why was he addressing her by her first name so nonchalantly then? Who did this kid think he was?

"I hope you aren't planning on giving Kyoko chocolates, because she's already under the impression that you gave her chocolates," The creep took one long stride and was all up in Kanae's personal space _again. _

"What are you talking about? I never gave her cho-"

And all of the sudden, the world turned dark for Moko-san as she collapsed into Reino's arms.

He chuckled. Sure, he was a supernatural guy. But chloroform worked just as well.

Reino tucked the rag away and dragged Kanae into his car.

She would rest until all hell broke loose in Kyoko's and Ren's world.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you to Interficere for the review :) It motivated me. <strong>

**Chloroform is the liquid used to knock people out during a kidnapping. Heh. **


	4. Mio the Sex Kitty?

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat! That honor goes to Nakamura Yoshiki.**

"There's a lot of sexual tension between Mio and Katsuki, ne?"

"I've always thought they suited each other better. They both have this darkness..."

Tsuruga Ren was both pleased and miffed by these comments from the camera crew. He was pleased to hear that he suited Kyoko/Mio, but he was alarmed that his feelings had bled through on screen. His affections were suppose to be directed towards Mizuki.

Was he slipping as an actor?

He ran a finger through his hair, mussing it a bit as he sat in his dressing room. He was back in his Tsuruga Ren uniform. Filming had ended, though Kyoko was subjected to a couple of NGs.

Ren recalled the scenes that created NGs.

**Mio branded Katsuki with a glare that could make the Devil cry. **

**Katsuki was used to Mio's attitude, and shrugged it off as he pulled her to her feet.**

**"Are you okay, Hongo-san?"**

**"Hmph. Since when have I had the privilege of earning concern from anyone? Especially from you," Mio sneered.**

And then the Sex Kitten made her entrance**. **

**"Although, I don't mind..." She purred and walked her fingers up Ren's arm.**

"Cut!" 

"Eh! Why?" Kyoko pouted. Ren swallowed, trying to even his breathing.

"Kyoko-san, you were suppose to say, 'Although I don't mind finding opportunities to spite Mizuki' and nod towards Mizuki," Director Ogata motioned to Momose-san, who was stationed by the door behind Katsuki, having heard and seen Katsuki's and Mio's interaction. "Mio would not say something so...suggestive," He finished strongly, though his cheeks were pink again.

"I was getting to that part," Kyoko muttered, a dark aura blooming behind her.

"Mogami-san," Ren said sternly, regaining composure.

"Yes, Ren-cha~n?" Kyoko smirked, popping her hip.

Everyone gaped.

"It seems as if today you simply can't get into character. I will be disappointed if you get another NG. You are Mio."

"Of course," She replied smoothly, smirking with a hand on her hip.

"Alright..." Director Ogata said uneasily. "Action!"

**"Although I don't mind finding opportunities to spite Mizuki," Mio said with a wicked grin, motioning to said girl behind him. **

**Katsuki's eyes widened as he turned to see the girl he loved, looking like she'd been betrayed.**

**"Hongo-"**

**"I understand. Perhaps...Mio -" Mizuki began tearfully, drawing the misjudgement from how intimate the two looked; Katsuki holding Mio's hand, looking down into her eyes.**

**"No-" Katsuki dropped Mio's hand, starting towards Mizuki.**

**"It is exactly how it looks, Mizuki," Mio stood territorily in front of Katsuki. "What? Does it make you sad to think that perhaps he loves me? Is it that hard to believe someone can love me? Does it make you angry, Mizuki? Do you hate me, Mizuki?"**

**"I-I...no, Mio-"**

**"Oh? So if I were to...kiss him, would you hate me?"**

**"Hongo-san, I would not allow th-"**

The Sex Kitten tackled Ren to the floor and proceeded to straddle him. Her fingers clawed up his chest, feeling the hard, muscular surface under his white button up shirt. Ren bit his lip to stop the groan that threatened to pour out when her nails flickered over his nipple. She reached his face and bit his lower lip.

Yashiro sputtered and choked on the mineral water he was drinking.

Ren was so shocked he stopped breathing altogether. Her warm body was pressed against him, feminine curves contrasting the hard line of his body. Kyoko's soft lips smothering his made his nerves tingle with desire.

Director Ogata stammered a, "CUT!"

Momose-san reddened, as did the rest of the crew. A few envious murmurs were heard from the males.

Kyoko clucked her tongue, but she a wore a devilish smile as she peeled herself off of her co-star. "What did I do now?"

"Kyoko-san! You were suppose to tug on Katsuki's tie and bring him down to your face, not to the floor. And you weren't suppose to actually kiss him - Katsuki was suppose to push Mio away. Tsuruga-kun, are you okay? Tsuruga-kun?"

His brain had stopped working, but his lower regions whirred to life. Damn slacks couldn't hide a hard on.

God, did she really do that? And in front of _everyone_? Something was seriously wrong with her.

In the meantime, Ren decided he would remain comatose.

This was too much.

"Ren! Did you hit your head?"

"Maybe a kiss from his princess would wake him up," Kyoko simpered.

"Kyoko-chan! Your kiss is what killed him,"

"Are you trying to say something about my kissing? Are you picking a fight?"

"N-No, I'm just saying..."

"This is terrible..."

Ren face palmed, letting out another sigh as he remembered. In the end, he had managed to shake off the shock and tranquilize the Sex Kitten with a lecture on professionalism. Kyoko had bowed into a dogeza and apologized to everyone on set.

There was something wrong with that girl.

More wrong than usual, he corrected as an after thought.

She was in lust with him. Only him, though he couldn't for the life of him figure out what was causing this.

Ren couldn't lie. This was the most action he'd had in _a long time._ And action from the girl he loved excited him even more. He was_ loving_ this.

But he couldn't. He dreaded her reaction after this lust ended.

But what if it never did? Could he get use to this Kyoko, who seemed content in squeezing and kissing him to death? But this wasn't his Kyoko. She was basically Natsu, except...she was Kyoko. She was aware that she wasn't Natsu.

Damn it, Ren tugged his hair, what was he going to do?

* * *

><p>Kanae woke up in a coffin.<p>

Kanae had turned into a zombie.

"MO! I can't be a zombie! My beautiful face is turn green and molt off! It can't be; I'm an actress! And an actor's best asset is her face! Mo..." She moaned, sitting up with her face in her palms, shuddering violently.

"Now I see why you two are friends," The Visual-Kei idiot was grinning down at her. "You're both story-book romantics,"

"What did you call me?" Kanae spat at him. "And you! You abducted me! You criminal, let me go!"

"And why would I let a zombie roam freely in public?" Reino stared her down, resting his head on his hand, far too amused with her. Not that she could. Kanae wasn't a supernatural spirit, but he had put up a barrier that kept her stuck in his room.

"Z-Zombie?" She stuttered. "S-So you did turn me into a zombie? You freak!"

"Relax, _Moko-san_, I couldn't turn you into a zombie. Well, I could, but I have no reason to. So long as you keep your mouth shut about the chocolate,"

"Listen, you," She jerked his collar and brought his surprised face to hers. "I want to know what's going on and why you kidnapped me. Now."

"Please tell me you're joking," Kanae deadpanned.

"I'm joking,"

"You're lying,"

"I'm lying," Reino shrugged with a shit-eating grin.

"I can't believe you gave Kyoko _poisoned _chocolates and made her think it was from me!"

"And she'll be acting like a cat in heat for Tsuruga Ren,"

Kanae withdrew her anger and said in her normal voice, "So you noticed too? He's in love with that stupid girl and she doesn't even know it,"

Reino raised a brow. "You're okay with that?"

"Well, the quicker she realizes it, the less I get to see those pitiful looks Tsuruga-san throws her when she doesn't notice. If this works...she'd get more publicity, too." Moko-san thought it over.

Most of the publicity from dating_ the _Tsuruga Ren would be bad, but it'd still draw attention to her. Kyoko had already debuted, so people could decide for themselves whether she was famous for acting skills or for being the girlfriend of the biggest star in Japan.

"You have a deal. I'll keep my mouth shut as long as Kyoko realizes she loves Ren."

Reino rubbed his chin. "I suppose there is a fine line between love and lust. If she can get from lust to love...then her darkness will disappear,"

"She has a problem seeing him as a man. This...potion of yours will correct that, won't it? And once she sees him that way, her true feelings will come out," Kanae pounded a fist into her palm with a triumphant smirk. "This might just work."

Reino thought it over. True, this lust potion had just been something to mess with Kyoko. When he was bored, she was the one who alleviated his boredom. But if she became a boring woman in love again...

He would have been horrified if Kyoko lost her darkness, but he didn't seem to troubled by it.

This Kotonami Kanae's darkness was...interesting.

That, and Reino just _loved_ feisty women.

* * *

><p><strong>I squirmed and giggled and smiled till my face hurt at all the reviews<strong> Interficere**,** 21han**,** roxyroxanne**,** MissTiburtius**,** Emf6**,** alitablake**,** Sugarpunch18**,** halfdemonfan**,** **and** Piacine - Jadeymay **left me. Thank you for the support. It makes writing so much easier, though this story in it of itself is sadistic fun to write. **

**As for the Kanae/Reino pairing...it sort of just...happened. **

**Thank you for reading :D **


	5. Boys Will Be Boys

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat! That honor goes to Nakamura Yoshiki.**

Mio was a nun, Kyoko thought with a frown. What was with her wardrobe!

All those dark skirts that swept the floor, and these dark and suffocating tops!

Kyoko burrowed through Mio's clothing rack. She finally found a black camisole with lacy straps. She squealed with glee as she found black shorts that snugly hugged her tush and bared her thighs.

She stepped into the leopard-print heels from this morning, but found sneakers to go better with the athletic-Goth outfit. She shook out her hair, touched up her make-up, and immediately found Natsu.

This was fantastic! Even if she was late to 'Box R', at least she wouldn't have to spend time slipping into Natsu.

As she left her dressing room, she bumped into none other than Tsuruga-san.

"Ah! Excuse me," Kyoko apologized and skipped away from him and his manager, though not without a hip-swaying strut.

"Wait! Kyoko-chan, would you like a ride?" Yashiro called out to her, careful to watch his eyes. He was correct in doing so, as his young charge was eyeing him with promises of death.

Kyoko halted, posing rather comically, mid-run. "If it isn't too much trouble..."

"It isn't trouble, Mogami-san," Ren smiled at signs of the old Kyoko. "We're going in the direction of the 'Box R' set for an interview,"

"Oh? Well, I'd love a ride. Thank you, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko blushed under the wattage of his genuine smile. Oh, she was doing her Cutie Honey face and it warmed his heart.

"No problem, Mogami-san."

Then he noticed what she was wearing.

"Mogami-san? Did you finish changing?" She was practically wearing underwear! A cami and booty-shorts was not clothing, Ren thought in outrage. Where was this girl's shame?

"Yes...is there something wrong with what I'm wearing, Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko challenged, dipping towards him to let him see the top of her breasts. Sex Kitty had returned.

"You're not wearing much. It's a bit chilly out,"

Tsuruga Ren was about to perform the cliche of all cliches. He slid out of his suit jacket and extended it to her. "Would you wear this for me?"

The Sex Kitten curled up and died. Oh, how cute was Tsuruga-san?

Kyoko smiled warmly and accepted it. "Thank you. But won't you be cold?"

"No. I'm dressed in layers," Ren said proudly.

Kyoko slipped into his suit jacket. As expected, it swallowed her shoulders and hung at her knees.

She laughed. "I look like a mad scientist."

Yashiro and Ren laughed as well. Yashiro was fangirl-ing over Kyoko wearing Ren's clothes. He was marking his territory. He was being a man. _For once! _Yashiro wept internally with joy.

Ren found her absolutely adorable in his clothes. She was blushing and smiling, flapping about the too-long sleeves.

He gave her his devastating smile, eyes crinkled around the corners - the one that made him remember why he was so in love with this girl.

"Let's get going, Mogami-san."

* * *

><p>"Good luck with filming. Have a good day,"<p>

"You too, Tsuruga-san. Yashiro-san, please feed him," Kyoko scolded lightly.

Yashiro chuckled. "Will do, Kyoko-chan."

"Thank you for the ride. And the jacket," Kyoko added, with a bit of embarrassment making her cheeks pink.

Ren was back in his suit jacket, except now it wore her lovely scent. Something like sunshine and fairy dust and sweet girliness. Yes, that was how much he loved that jacket now.

"No problem. Goodbye, Mogami-san." He waved at her and pulled away.

"Ren," Yashiro began.

"Yashiro-"

"The location of the interview is in the opposite direction,"

"I know that, Yashiro-san,"

Yashiro clasped his hands together, a smile spreading on his face like wildfire. "Sacrificing your career for the girl you love!"

"It's only one interv-"

"And the jacket! Oh, and you should've seen your face! It was straight out of a Shakespearean tragedy. You just wanted to give her a ride just in case she became the Sex Kitten in front of other men, didn't you?"

"Whatever it is that's wrong with Mogami-san, it seems like she only directs her lust at me,"

"And you love it,"

Ren was silent as drove.

"Oh, you pervert! Tsuruga Ren, a pervert! I love it!"

"Yashiro-san, you value your life, yes?"

His manager wilted. "Sorry. It's just that - gah! I can live vicariously through you, Ren,"

"Yashiro-san, I have nothing to say to that."

* * *

><p>"I have to use the bathroom," Kanae growled at Reino. He had his fist under his jaw, idly flipping through the channels.<p>

"Go ahead," He waved her off.

"Aren't you worried that I might escape?"

"I'm not worried. You can try all you like,"

Kanae stomped her foot like a child showing early symptoms of a tantrum. "I don't understand. I've promised to let you work your magic on her and keep my mouth shut. So why are you keeping me in your damn apartment?"

Reino's lips quirked. "I feel like keeping you here. That's all,"

Kanae's jaw hit the floor. "Because you _feel _like it? Oh, so if I just _felt _lighting you on fire, it's alright? Let me leave! I have work and a job, you know. Mo! I have a shoot in an hour,"

"Oh? A photo shoot?"

_Ah, so now the pervert is interested in what I have to say. _

Kanae grinned. Yes! Loophole! Time to employ the acting.

She bit her lips, then sighed. "It'll be a shame. It was a Gothic-Victorian bathing suit shoot, too. They thought I'd fit the part since I'm pale and dark-haired. Oh well. It was going to be printed on the cover of..." Her eyes skimmed over the magazines stacked undeneath the coffee table. "Paranormal Boy,"

Reino wanted to kick himself for chasing after actresses. Distinguishing between truth and fiction would be a bitch from now on. He'd hate to miss the opportunity to see Kotonami Kanae almost naked, but if she was lying...well, he might end up losing sight of her.

He stood then, quite suddenly. If she was lying, he could still track her down and steal a couple of touches and a kiss or three.

Reino was skilled at that, after all.

"Fine. Let's go."

Her eyes widened. "Eh? I mean...I thought you'd put up a fight,"

Reino grinned. "I wouldn't miss the opportunity to see you up close and personal in a bathing suit."

Kanae cried on the way to the photo shoot_. Men, despite how strange some of them are, are perverts. _

* * *

><p><strong>I've been listening to ABBA and Shakira while writing this. lol. <strong>

**The feedback puts a big smile on my face :D I've been suffering with writer's constipation, but writing a fanfic is getting rid of it. **

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	6. Picture Time!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat! That honor goes to Nakamura Yoshiki.**

"A-Amazing, Kyoko-chan! Your Nacchan is perfect today!" Maruyama Rumi (Chitose) crowed**__.__**

Amamiya Chiori, Sudo Yuka, Makino Honami - the Box 'R' girls who played Yumika, Tugumi, and Kaori, respectively, all stared in awe. Filming had gone flawlessly. Kyoko didn't get a single NG. The director wept; the men were dazed.

Kyoko flipped her manicured hair back with an incredible and seemingly neverending confidence that left the girls feeling inadequate.

Even in her Natsu uniform, the allure of the Sex Kitten oozed from her pores. Her hips cocked out and her smile never tired.

"Ne, we should celebrate!" Rumi said. "We hardly had any NGs thanks to Kyoko-chan,"

"Thank you," the Sex Kitten said.

"Natsu is still with us," Honami (Kaori) observed.

"Who's up for ramen?" Yuka (Tugumi) piped up.

"It's too warm for ramen," Chiori reasoned. "How about cold soba? We can have ice cream afterwards,"

"What do you think, Kyoko-chan?" Rumi blinked up at the girl, who blinked back with a strange look on her face.

The Sex Kitten turned into a puddle as Kyoko sang at the thoughts of eating out with (female!) friends. Oh, they would slurp noodles and laugh when it spattered, giggle, point at things, and then eat ice cream, like she had done with Moko-san!

Speaking of Moko-san, Kyoko needed to find her friend and thank her for the chocolate.

"Kyoko-chan is back," Chiori pointed at the starry-eyed teen, obviously thinking of glomping her Moko-san.

The girls all snickered and snuck up behind a clueless Kyoko. They then jumped her, scaring her into shock.

"I'm going to get gray hairs!" Kyoko whimpered, as the girls walked together, side-by-side, still giggling from their prank. "That took a good twenty-years from my life,"

"Aw, Kyoko-chan," Rumi patted her shoulder. "It's okay now."

"-hate mint-chocolate chip ice-cream." Chiori and the other two girls bickered over ice cream flavors.

_This must be what it's like to be 'normal'_. Though, Kyoko mused with a content smile, she wouldn't want to change her life for a normal one. This was Kyoko's normal.

* * *

><p>She hadn't lied completely. It <em>was<em> a Gothic shoot. No bathing suits, though.

With a nervous smile on her lips, Kanae tried to ignore the gloom towering over her with a displeased look on his face.

And by gloom, she meant no one other than Reino.

"Kya! That's Vie Ghoul's vocalist, Reino! He's otherworldy-gorgeous, ne?" The makeup artist bumped hips with the costume designer, who only stared at Reino with love in her eyes.

"It's obvious that someone as pretty as Kotonami-san would have such a hot guy after her. Ne, ne, Kotonami-san, is he your boyfriend?" The makeup artist whispered conspiratorially.

A vein surfaced on Kanae's temple. "That," She pointed a finger with murderous intent at The Gloom. "is-"

"Her boyfriend," Reino finished, and swooped in with natural grace. His arm grabbed her around her waist and pulled her sharply against his side, her hands flat on his chest. "Kanae is just shy. Right?"

At the chill that passed through her suddenly, Kanae nodded rapidly. Better safe than sorry, she thought with a grimace.

"Aw! Those two suit each other so well!" said the makeup artist. "Ne, Chigusa-san, wouldn't it look cool if Kotonami-san modeled with him?"

The aforementioned Chigusa Kayako, professional photographer of almost thirteen years, squinted at the couple, and adjusted her glasses accordingly.

Reino didn't need makeup to pull off looking like a vampire. His pale skin was the backdrop for his strange eyes and equally strange gray hair. His bone structure and regal stance won her over. Paired with the raven-haired beauty pressed onto his chest, the shoot would be...interesting.

"Pardon me, Reino-kun, but would you be interested in pairing up with Kotonami Kanae for this photoshoot?" Kayako asked with a warm smile.

Reino answered with a wicked one. "Of course. I'd love to take pictures with my _H_oney_," _He squeezed Kanae tighter. "Our children could look back on these one day, you know,"

He affectionately tapped her nose with a clawed finger.

Another vein joined the party at Kanae's temple. "Ch-Children?"

The image ran through her mind.

Little Reinos running around, kidnapping and molesting people? Absolutely not!

"Y-You have it wro-" Kanae began, but the makeup artist giggled and caged her wrist with her iron grip.

"Come, Kotonami-san! Time for hair, makeup, and costume!" With a finger to her chin, she turned to look at Reino who stood with an abandoned puppy look. "Of course, Reino-kun has to get prepped as well. Let's get to work."

The first outfit was an ensemble of lace and skin.

It was peasant-Goth. Her shoulders were bare, with a frothy cream blouse underneath. Over the blouse was a plum dress that strapped over her naked collarbone and make criss-crosses over her chest and down to her abdomen. The dress swelled into a black cloud and heavy black pumps.

"Kanae-chan looks so beautiful," The makeup artist and costume designer teared, looking upon the flushed actress with the adoration of a mother seeing her daughter all grown up. Eerily similar to the one Kyoko would have if she saw her Moko-san now.

"Mo! Don't make those faces at me! Just take me to the set," She elbowed past them, stomping each step with a pissed-off look on her face.

"If Kanae-chan is angry about this dress, she'll be livid at the next one," The costume designer said.

The makeup artist grinned.

Kanae waited for her partner in modeling and for Kayako-san to set her camera.

"Here comes Reino-kun~!" A voice squealed, and footsteps were heard.

Kanae gulped.

There he stood. His face seemed a little paler, his eyes fiercely lined, his hair tied in a little ponytail. He had a matching cream colored peasant shirt, except his chest was bared like a hero on the cover of a smutty harlequin novel. Black pants and shoes finished the look off.

When he noticed the young actress's eyes on him, he grinned, flashing her the fangs the girls had glued on.

Kanae didn't look too bad herself. If anything, he was quite excited to sink his teeth into the exposed expanse of the creamy skin over her collar bone, neck, and the tops of her breasts.

His staring made her fidget.

"Don't look at me, stupid," She hissed, crossing her arms.

Reino ignored this and chose to run his fingers over her shoulders, summoning a shudder.

This reaction was awarded with another grin.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Chigusa Kayako had started to photograph them.

The first frames were of Kanae's obvious disdain for Reino. The story had begun. Every photoshoot had a story, and Kayako was thrilled at how quickly they had stepped into this story.

A story of a human maiden being romanced (reluctantly) by a vampire.

Then he touched her and her startled face was captured, as was the curious lust in his face.

Kanae stepped away with a frown, but he closed the distance. His fingers clamped her arms and brought her to him. She had no time to be shocked when he suddenly dipped her and bared his fangs.

She was frozen. She didn't know what it was, but the fear snaking through her veins stunned her.

Reino wasn't a stupid boy (albeit a slightly sexually frustrated one). He'd been photographed before, so he knew that this photographer had begun. Reino was prepared to coax genuine reactions out of Kanae. Even if it meant scaring the piss out of her.

Gently, his nails moved a long lock of hair from her neck and reunited it with the rest of her hair, making sure to scrape his nails along her neck. Then he moved his lips to her skin.

His lips were unexpectantly sensual, the way they manipulated the nerves in her neck, the way they made her break out in goosebumps, and the way they sent chills down her spine. Then his tongue darted out.

In the sense of being a vampire, he was sampling her.

Kanae yelped.

_Snap. _

The frightened yet aroused look on her face was perfect.

Reino looked right up at the camera as he dug his plastic fangs into her neck.

"That was so erotic! Kya!" The makeup artist panted from Kayako's side. The costume designer was completely red, breath uneven.

The photo on the screen was of Reino looking up with a mischievous and dangerous look, with Kanae in his arms, her eyes closed and cheeks pink, and her skin in his teeth.

"Next set! Eh...Kotonami-san?"

Chigusa Kayako was referring to Kanae, who had evidently fainted in Reino's arms.

* * *

><p><strong>I apologize for betraying my reputation as a quick updater, but this week has been...ugh. Pretty shit. Actully, that's an understatement, but I promised to keep writing. Ren isn't in this chapter, but he will be in the next one (I think). <strong>

**I love you (to the second power), Piacine - Jadeymay. **

**I love Emf6 for loving the Reino/Kanae pairing. **

**I love shadowsfromthedream for telling me I made her laugh. **

**I love pielovingchick for getting the 'Paranormal Boy' joke. **

**I love Shiroyuki76's imagination. **

**I love ElheiM for thinking of all the wonderful things Ren is going to do with the Kyoko-worn jacket. **

**I love paigeydoll for being a new reviewer. **

**I love for noticing the fluff. **

**And Interficere - I love you for the magical sprinkles. **

**I sound like I'm at an award's show, but I genuinely love getting feedback. I hope you like this chapter :) It's more Reino/Kanae concentrated, which is so much fun to write. **


	7. Hell's Angel and Jealousy

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat! That honor goes to Nakamura Yoshiki.

She had to escape.

Kotonami Kanae couldn't digest the degree of humiliation she felt at _fainting _in that freak's arms.

Her face colored darkly. What was with all that touching and kissing and licking and biting? And why did it affect her so strongly? She wasn't some pervert who enjoyed _that _sort of attention from that sort of man!

Kanae slapped a hand to her forehead and ran her fingers through her hair. Goosebumps prickled her skin as she remembered his hands and lips on her. She shook her head to erase all thoughts of him.

"Mo...I can't just leave in the middle of a photo shoot. What does that say about my work ethic? It's not fitting of a professional," She strengthened her resolve and clenched her fist. "No matter how much that guy pisses me off, I have a job to do."

She thought back to when Kyoko worked with Fuwa Sho. Despite her hate for the bastard, she still managed to pull off the PV flawlessly.

As her rival, Kanae was not going to back down. If Kyoko could work with someone she hated to get herself out there, well by God, so would Kanae!

"Ano...Kotonami-san?" The costume designer peeked at her through a crack in the door. "Are you ready for your next costume?"

"Of course," Kanae bowed deeply. "I apologize for my unprofessional behavior earlier. It won't happen again."

The costume designer smiled. "Don't worry about it, Kotonami-san. I would have died if Reino-kun did the same to me. You two are doing a wonderful job."

Crippling despair hit Kanae like a freight train. _You two are doing a wonderful job. _

It wasn't her who was doing the "wonderful job". Reino had been dictating her responses earlier. She hadn't modeled. She was just responding to him. He was the one doing the work, and that would not do. This was _her _photo shoot. She would be the one encouraging responses from him. She was the one who was going to model on her own accord, damn it!

The fire that seemed to burst from behind Kotonami-san shook the costume designer, who timidly led her to the changing room.

The costume designer presented her with the outfit.

This one was a lot shorter and form-fitting. The skin-tight leather jacket caught Kanae's eye. The top was black, very low cut, showing ample cleavage, and tattered above the torso, baring her midriff. The gray shorts became a second skin. Her legs were dressed in fishnet stockings with the garter exposed on her thigh. Her neck was collared with a spiky choker. Her feet wore candy apple red pumps.

The make-up artist pranced in and nearly had a stroke.

"WOW! And here I thought this girl couldn't get any better-looking! Kami-sama! Get your cute little butt over here so I can make you up. Kya! Reino-kun is going to _die _when he sees you,"

Kanae punched her palm with a scary, crackling aura crawling from her being.

"I'll make sure he does." 

Reino lazily spun around in the seat in the dressing room. For the second part of the photoshoot, the girls had decked him out in leather pants and a leather jacket.

And nothing else.

The jacket was left open and his hair was messy and tousled. They lined his eyes again, much to his irritation. Those girls' were far to giggly and nervous, and this resulted in him getting stabbed several times in the eye.

Even now, the crew of makeup artists, costume designers, and hair dressers ogled him with stars in their eyes. They watched him spin in his chair idly.

"Reino-kun is so beautiful,"

"Reino-kun, can I get an autograph?"

"Reino-kun, can we take a picture together?"

"Reino-kun, please take me where I stand,"

"Reino-kun, can you give me a kiss?"

"Reino-kun, can I have your babies?"

"Reino-kun!" Kanae's makeup artist slammed the door open and beamed at him. "Time for round two! Oh, wow, you look great too! Just wait till you see Kanae-chan."

Reino perked up, with his familiar grin on his lips. "Oh?"

"Reino-kun~!" The crew cried and hugged his legs as he walked back on set.

He smirked at Kanae, who was seated on a wine-colored cushioned armchair. Legs were all he saw. The bright red fuck-me heels led to the fishnet stockings and the garter that connected her panties with the stockings on her soft, feminine thighs. He wanted her to stand up so he could get an eyeful of her butt encased in those tight shorts that were more suited to be underwear.

And the top? Reino regretted the use of his leather pants; surely they couldn't hide the raging hard on he had? Her breasts were on display, as was her flat, pale stomach.

When his eyes landed on her face, he was surprised at her expression.

Instead of the angry embarassment he'd seen while she was wearing the first outfit, she looked...smug.

"Reino-kun~," She purred and stood with intimidating confidence and cold eyes. "So you've finally decided to join us,"

The change was puzzling, but undeniably sexy.

Two could play at this game, he thought.

"I apologize, Kanae-_chan. _I was trying to make it so you wouldn't faint at the sight of me again," Reino advanced with a smirk.

Kanae chuckled darkly and strode up to him. Her fingers played with the collar of his leather jacket. "I only faint in disgust, Reino-_kun,"_

"You flatter me, _honey,_" Reino trailed his fingers down her stomach and grabbed her hips and brought them to his.

No shock registered in her face. Kanae smoothed her hand over his chest with a smirk of her own. Her eyes shot up to meet his.

He met hers challengingly.

Kanae forced Reino down onto a purple loveseat with her hand still on his chest. He sat down with her in his lap, eyes glued to her face as he watched and wondered at what she would do next.

Her long, slender legs straddled him, and her arms went around his neck so her chest was at eye-level.

"Ne, Reino-_chan_, does this top make my boobs look big?"

"They absolutely do," He nodded firmly, squirming to get his tented pants away from her.

She grinned at his fidgeting.

"Ne, do my lips look dry? This lipstick is matte you know,"

Reino didn't know what the fuck "matte" was, but her lips were full and pouty and entirely too inviting. He eagerly brought his face up to hers, but she giggled and pushed his shoulders back.

He felt ashamed at actually being _eager _to kiss this girl. Eager!

_Snap. Snap. Snap. _The crew watched the pair, all pink in the face. Kayako was busy chasing their facial expressions and body language, chasing the romance of a hard-ass punk seductress teasing the equally hardcore-punk playboy, giving him a taste of his own medicine.

"If you want me, you have to beg for me," Kanae sing-songed and tapped his nose like he'd done earlier.

"Beg? Don't be stupid," He said hoarsely.

"Alright then." And just like a cold shower, she crawled off his lap and began to walk off set.

Reino sat with his legs spread, highly aroused and highly confused. He shot a look at Chigusa Kayako who blinked at him. "It's a wrap. Thank you two for your hardwork." Kayako bowed and smiled. "These will be published next month."

Slowly, he regained mobility, but his dignity was left in shatters at the able hands of Kotonami Kanae.

* * *

><p>Kyoko plucked Bo's head off of hers, letting out a gusty sigh. After lunch with the girls, she was expected at TBM Studios to play Bo. The guest had been another tabloid queen who Bo had to flirt with. It had been extremely awkward for Kyoko to hold the pop idol in her lap and put flowers in her hair.<p>

But the audience had loved it, and Bo ran off the stage with thundering applause following 'him'.

She took of the head band and shook out her hair. Her makeup was somehow still in tact.

Kyoko surveyed the outfit she had worn after Box R.

It was violet sweater dress that dipped into a V, exposing her collarbone and a little bit of cleavage. The dress ended below her butt, framing it nicely. She paired it with cowgirl boots and called it a day.

She plopped down on the armchair in her dressing room. What a long day, she exhaled and flipped her phone open.

The teen actress brightened at the thought of calling up her best friend to thank her profusely for the yummy home-made chocolate.

It rang once. It rang twice. It rang three more times before Kyoko furrowed her brow and hung up. Moko-san was probably too busy to answer. She would go check out LME to find her Moko-san.

Besides, she thought happily, what better way to show her thanks than squeezing Moko-san to death?

* * *

><p>Reino pulled on his black trench coat and slumped into his chair.<p>

What the fuck was that?

More to the point, where did that come from?

He thought of Kanae in that outfit, smirking down at him, trying to make him beg for her.

And by God, he was ready to.

She was just another woman, wasn't she? Reino thought with a dry mouth.

She wasn't, he reluctantly admitted. Kotonami Kanae was no ordinary woman. She was an actress, a beautiful ice queen with a soft spot for another cute girl with darkness and fairytales.

Reino pinched the bridge of his nose.

_Those damn LME girls. She drives me nuts. _

* * *

><p>And now Kanae was free to flee. Chigusa-san had told them to go home, and Reino's place was not her home. To save time, Kanae stalked into her dressing room, grabbed her clothes, and ran out of the studio in the leather, Hell's-Angel get-up.<p>

That freak wouldn't bother her anymore, she thought smugly as she hailed down a taxi. Kanae hopped in and pleasantly informed the flustered driver her destination.

Ah, home sweet home.

* * *

><p>Ren was finished for the night. Yashiro flanked his side as the pair walked down the halls of TBM Studios.<p>

"Ne, ne, it's Tsuruga Ren!"

"He's so _beautiful_, "

Ren wore an emerald button-up with dark wash jeans. He wore a gray jacket with his hands in his pockets, strutting down with practised ease and the confidence of the number one man in show buisness.

He smirked at the girls' comments. His ego ballooned happily.

Yashiro shook his head.

"Kyoko-chan told me to feed you," his manager said. "She'll be upset if you don't,"

"Maybe we could pick her up and take her out to dinner," The actor rubbed his chin.

"Speak of the devil and she shall appear!" Yashiro spotted the shock of orange hair coming towards them. Or rather, the exit that the two were standing in front of.

Ren sighed. This set-up was a little too perfect. _Like her rack in that...dress? Does that thing count as clothing? _

He shook his head to clear the impure thoughts polluting his mind when Kyoko bowed before them. Ren took a peek down her top regardless.

"Mogami-san, Yashiro-san and I are inviting you out to dinner," Ren said, struggling to keep his eyes on her face rather than her shapely long legs.

"Ah, I don't want to trou-"

"Mogami-san," Ren put on his gentleman smile, summoning Kyoko's grudge from atop her head. "I will be displeased if you decline our offer,"

"Yes! I-I'll go to dinner. Thank you very much for your kindness," She bowed again, and let out a sigh of relief when Ren's smile melted into a sincere one.

"How about some hamburgers?"

Kyoko salivated. _Hamburgers...I haven't had them in so long..._

"Ren, Kyoko-chan, I'll go bring the car around from the parking lot. You two wait here," Yashiro transformed into Cupid and allowed them some _alone time. _

"We will wait." Kyoko nodded and smiled.

He smiled at her cute face. It was a mix of disappointment and relief that she wasn't being a Sex Kitten. Though he did prefer his innocent, fairy-loving Kyoko, the Sex Kitten appealed to the side of Ren that he wasn't particularly proud of.

The same two girls who had gushed over Ren made themselves known as they walked towards the couple at the door. They were both very pretty, Kyoko thought begrudgingly. It only made her feel that much more inadequate in the face of her great sempai. What privilege did a plain girl like her have to be within two feet of this man?

Her fallen mood didn't go unnoticed by Ren. His smirk reappeared. Kyoko had played with his little green monster for so long with that fucking Fuwa.

Now he'd let her have it.

"What can I do for you ladies?" The Emperor of the Night purred.

Kyoko stiffened. The girls widened their eyes and blushed profusely.

"A-A-Ano...c-could we get a picture, Tsu-Tsuruga-san?" One of the dazed girls asked and shook a compact pink camera.

"Of course. Mogami-san, would you mind?" Ren innocently dangled the camera in front of her face.

She polited nodded and took the camera, careful to try to avoid his hand. The Emperor would not have any of that; he grabbed her hand and turned it palm up. He laid the camera on her hand, focusing on touching her tiny fingers with his exponentially larger ones.

Kyoko had reddened as darkly as the other girls who were vehemently glaring at the exchange. She could only imagine the thoughts in their heads; thoughts similar to hers and her lack of worth compared to Tsuruga-san.

The Sex Kitten roared, but calmed at her master's sullen mood. The Sex Kitten wanted to eat those two girls alive and then devour Ren, but Kyoko was feeling too self-conscious and depressed to draw on the Sex Kitten's prowess. Besides, Kyoko chided the Sex Kitten, if she acted like a shameful girl in front of those other two shameful girls, that didn't make things her the better person. It would make Ren angry for making them misunderstand their relationship.

The Sex Kitten yowled, wanting to mark her territory, but Kyoko didn't allow it.

She snapped a couple of pictures of the girls with Ren in the middle, flinching when his fingers carelessly hugged their shoulders, or wrapped around their waists.

It made something in her chest twist painfully.

"Thank you very much, Tsuruga-san!" The girls simultaneously squealed and threw themselves at him in a hug.

That damn playboy soaked it up in his typical American, touchy-feely way.

Kyoko tried to loosen her jaw.

By the time the girls had left, Yashiro had pulled up, eyes opened eagerly to catch sight of his favorite pairing, hopefully kissing passionately under the artificial lights of the TBM Studios lobby.

Instead, Kyoko had a strange look on her face; something

between wanting to cry and wanting to strangle someone.

Ren stood smugly, smelling of women's perfume, clearly not Kyoko's.

Someone was going to die tonight, Yashiro thought with a vein popping in his temple.


	8. Sex Kitten x Emperor of the Night

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Skip Beat! That honor goes to Nakamura Yoshiki.

"_Why?" The Sex Kitten whined. _

_"She's being the better person." Angel Kyoko replied with a huff, wings ruffled._

_"Fuck being the better person. I will make him suffer," Sex Kitten said with sinister intent._

_"Don't be so vulgar!" Angel Kyoko clapped her hands over her mouth._

_"Pah! So proper," The Sex Kitten shook her hair out and flipped Angel Kyoko the middle finger._

_"You've tortured Tsuruga-san enough!" Angel Kyoko cried._

_"There's never enough of torturing our Ren-chan~," The Sex Kitten chuckled darkly. She was part of Kyoko's cast of Grudges and Angels, the same size and a physical resemblance to Kyoko. Sex Kitten's hair was ruffled, her lips glossy, and her dress inappropriate._

_Angel Kyoko blushed again._

_"Here's how it works," Sex Kitten said. "All women are capable of being sexy. Even the defected, Kyoko-type."_

_"Defected? Our Mama is not defected...love has slaughtered her innocent heart," A Grudge groaned._

At the moment, Kyoko's already sullen mood intensifed at the sudden thought of love.

Ren's smugness had since gone cold. Two brooding auras strangled the atmosphere, making him uncomfortable.

_Maybe I went overboard with the jealousy stint._

He gave Yashiro a sheepish look.

Now he was looking with worry at his 'kohai', who had vehemently avoided eye contact and conversation with both men. She was stuck in her bubble of gloom, and it didn't apper as if she was going to come out of it soon.

Still, he was internally rejoicing at actually making her _jealous. Kyoko, jealous! Success! _

"Mogami-san, is the hamburger not to your liking?" He asked softly.

"It's fine," She said shortly, glaring at the steak. Her fingers were pressing on her knife and fork with a little too much force, likening herself to a psychic bending dining utensils.

"I haven't had hamburgers in a while," Yashiro said, trying to alleviate the awkward silence. Her darkness had dwarfed his, leaving him feeling awkward and curious as to what Ren had done in the ten minutes Yashiro was gone.

Still, he was annoyed with his young charge for not taking advantage of the situations his manager conveniently put them in. Did he think it was easy to find a spot for both of them to share with their hectic schedules? Yashiro attempted to telepathically communicate this, but ended up making strange faces at a puzzled Ren.

"Likewise," Ren added after a lengthy pause, adjusting his baseball hat accordingly to shield his eyes, and for a lack of something to do.

_"Every woman has an inner Sex Kitten. I am unfortunately Kyoko's," Sex Kitten rolled her eyes. "I guess I just woke up recently. Like Snow White," She added dreamily. _

_"And you call Mama a romantic? Snow White," scoffed a Grudge._

_"I-I know why," The same Grudge who had been kidnapped by Reino stepped into the conversation. "Ever since that time when that monster took me away from Mama, I've been on guard for him. I sensed him slipping into Mama's room and giving her those chocolates,"_

_"Oh no," The Angel blanched. "He must have laced it with something to unleash her," She pointed a distasteful finger at the Sex Kitten._

_"We like her a lot better than you," The Grudges murmured._

_Sex Kitten beamed at them._

_Angel Kyoko shrank._

_"Looks like it's our turn to shine." The Sex Kitten grinned at the Grudges, who smiled devilishly in turn._

Kyoko's dark aura transformed into a hybrid of the Sex Kitten's aura and the Grudges' aura.

Ren's spine stiffened.

Yashiro chugged water like a mad man on a deserted island.

"You know Ren-chan," She tucked her hair behind her ear and narrowed her eyes at his manager. "I think Yashiro-chan is hungry,"

"Eh?" Yashiro jumped besides Ren, elliciting a snarl from him.

The Sex Kitten carefully cut a piece off of her steak and dipped it into her egg yolk. Then she extended her fork to Yashiro's gaping mouth.

"Here, Yashiro-chan," She said, leaning forward so Ren and Yashiro got an eyeful of her chest. "Have a bite,"

Ren was trembling, eyes frozen on her chair.

Yashiro was on the verge of tears.

Kyoko shoved it into Yashiro's mouth.

She smiled a Natsu-like smile and patted his head. "Good boy. Now chew. Unless...you would like me to do that for you as well?"

Yashiro would be the one to die, he shuddered at Ren's hands and shoulders shaking in quiet rage.

"K-K-Kyoko-chan," Yashiro pulled his eyes to her eyebrows, averting as much as a single, heterosexual man could. "I can eat fine, thank you,"

Sex Kitten cooed. "Aw. Good for you, Yashiro-kun."

He let out a shaky sigh when she seated herself across from Ren. He made sure to put a couple of inches of distance between himself and his young charge.

Sure, he was Ren's manager and a loyalty aficioando, but first and foremost, Yashiro was a man. And when a man is offered such things, like a pretty young thing feeding him with nice view down her shirt, he took such things. It was instinct, and this Ren was far too aware of.

If his right-hand man fell under her allure so easily, other men would have a field day with her.

His jaw clenched and unclenched unconsciously, eyes darkening.

The Grudges celebrated in Ren's fury, which was illustrated quite blatantly in his eyes. Though they were focused on his steak, the tremors and white fists worked just as well as indicators. Sex Kitten sneered.

Yashiro cleared his throat and loosened his tie.

Sex Kitten rested her chin on the back of her hand, eyes directed at Ren.

"I'm thirsty," She swirled her empty glass. With a smile that would beg the question, "Where do babies come from?", she caught the attention of a male waiter.

"Yes?" The waiter scurried over to the table. He asked with a fondness that had Ren wanting to break those smiling pearly whites with his fist. The waiter was so fascinated with the up-and-coming actress, he completely ignored the poorly disguised Tsuruga Ren.

"Can you please get me something to drink?"

_Intentionally vague and innocent within context_, Yashiro stared at the teen with horror and admiration. _She's good._

The dirty thought was evidently ready to roll off the waiter's tongue, but Kyoko wanted water.

"Right away." He more or less ran back to the kitchen.

"The service here is nice," She said.

The man in front of her was prepared to castrate any man who so much as looked at her. Sex Kitten pressed her fingers to her lips.

"Oh no," She mumbled. "My lips are dry,"

_Oh no. _Yashiro cringed.

She pulled out a compact and lip gloss. Her held the wand to her bottom lip and applied a bright coral gloss. She puckered and rolled her lips.

"How do I look, Ren-chan~?" Sex Kitten looked up through her lashes at the livid actor.

"Why don't you ask your mirror?" He growled, fighting the temptation to grab her chin and kiss those pouty lips senseless.

Her eyes blanked and Kyoko thought of Snow White again.

The Sex Kitten returned when the waiter did, with a glass of water on an ornate tray.

"Miss," The waiter was out of breath and red.

"Thank you so much," Sex Kitten expertly sipped the water so it skidded off her slipperly lips and down her shirt, and bringing all male eyes down with it.

"Oh look what I've done! I'm so clumsy," She simpered and blinked up at the waiter, who gawked at the wet trail down her cleavage.

Ren's eyes were trained on the dark spots the water made on her dress, and the light reflecting off the water on her breasts, which were goosebumping.

Sex Kitten pumped her fists at her success at bringing Tsuruga Ren's attention to her chest. Of all the women in Japan, here he was, openly staring at her like an inexperienced adolescent boy. She was purring at her success. Kyoko could thank her later.

Yashiro clamped his hands over his eyes before Ren gouged them out.

"Napkins, miss!" The waiter busily groped her breasts through the pretense of drying them.

"Ah-"

Fists slammed down on the table as The Emperor of the Night stood and slapped the bill into the waiter's hand.

"Mogami-san," The Emperor greeted the Sex Kitten with blazing eyes.

She stared up at him, resolve weakened. The waiter paused in his assistance.

"If you want to dry off, might I suggest coming to my place for a towel and a change of clothing? We wouldn't want you to get sick, especially since we have filming for Dark Moon tomorrow,"

The waiter froze at the sight of an angry Tsuruga Ren, completely unlike his gentle-giant persona.

"Y-Yes, Tsuruga-san. Thank you for the suggestion." Kyoko regained control. She gave the waiter a look of mortification, timidly pulling her dress up to her neck.

Yashiro peeked between his fingers.

"Let's go, Yashiro-san."

"Yes! Let's go, please." He ducked his head.

Again, Kyoko and Yashiro shared the same aura - this one of shame and fear, as Ren stalked to his car.

* * *

><p><strong>Piacine - Jadeymay<strong>

- Your reaction was great. Really, I love strong responsese to my writing. It means I'm doing something right (pun intended ;) XD 

**ElheiM**

- I'd say this is sufficient pay back. Punishment for a naughty Ren. 

**pielovingchick**

- Kyoko needs to get jealous to realize what she has at her feet! 

**Sere'sLight**

- a new reviewer. I love you. :D I'm happy you like Moko and Reino together. 

**Sugarpunch18**

- Aha, the claws have come out. This installment deals with the nature of the potion and the Sex Kitten in Kyoko. 

**Interficere**

- I've never really written smut like that, so thank you for telling me I can write it well. 

**shin-seirei**

- new reviewer. I love you. lol it'd be cool if Nakamura-sensei did that. 

**perfect beauty**

- new reviewer, I love you. I love jealousy and the inevitable meeting is coming soon. 

**Blacksnowkitten**

- I love you, new reviewer. Enjoy this new installment.

**SPRING BREAK = MORE WRITING. YAY :D **

**Hope you enjoyed the read as much as I enjoyed writing it.**


	9. Bathtubs

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Skip Beat! That honor goes to Nakamura Yoshiki.

"Ano...Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko bit her lip. "Why are you taking me to your place if you could just drive me back to the Daruma-ya?"

"Hm?" The wattage of his bright smile increased tenfold. Yashiro and Kyoko collectively shuddered. "Mogami-san, what am I?"

"Eh?" Is that a trick question...? "Ah...you are an actor?"

"Before that?"

"Um...Tsuruga Ren?"

_Wrong. _

"Before that,"

"A...man?"

_Don't say it so questioningly, Kyoko-chan! _Yashiro wailed, making to rip out his hair.

_She's unbelievable. She better not be doubting my gender. _Ren shook his head, a smile worming its way onto his lips.

"Before that,"

"A human!"

"Yes, Mogami-san. I'm not a machine that can run forever, despite how I may seem. It's been a long day for both of us, and my place is closer. Unless you wish to _inconvenience_ me by making me drive you all the way back to the Daruma-ya?"

_Damn that bastard! Don't think you have the privilege to be an ass to us after what you did! Sex Kitten spat. _

Kyoko was horrified. "N-NEVER!" She bowed to the best of her abilities while seated in the backseat of his car. "I apologize for bothering you with such a stupid question, Tsuruga-san! But..."

"But?" His smiled blindingly.

She trembled. "My dress is dry,"

_Shit. And The Emperor was in the mood for some punishing. How disappointing...but we'll find some sort of excuse. _

"Ha! Don't think you can seduce us so easily, you cow!" The Sex Kitten crossed her arms.

The Emperor lifted a brow. "Cow? Are you calling me fat?"

"Thunder-thighs~," Sex Kitten sang.

The Emperor scowled.

"Good for you, Mogami-san. However, I'd like it if I could go home immediately and get some rest. I expect you to do the same. It'll be better for both of us to go to my apartment," Ren plowed on.

Yashiro couldn't help but give him brownie points for trying.

"What about Yashiro-san?" Kyoko argued.

"I'll drop Yashiro-san off. His apartment is on the way to mine," _What is with her and her involvement with Yashiro tonight? _Ren thought grouchily.

. "F-Fine..." Kyoko grumbled.

"Is my place that bad?" Ren gave her a look through the rearview mirror.

"No...it's fine, Tsuruga-san. Thank you for looking out for both of us,"

_"You won this time, but I'll get the upper hand later on, damn playboy." The Sex Kitten said. _

The Emperor scoffed. "We'll see about that."

"Goodnight, Yashiro-san," Kyoko and Ren waved to the older man as he slipped out of the car.

"Goodnight, you two. Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow." Yashiro waved.

As they pulled away, Yashiro wiped his brow. What a night. Those two were a handful.

* * *

><p>Tsuruga Ren's apartment was sterile and neglected. It screamed 'modern' and boasted of a fabulous view of the Tokyo skyline.<p>

Kyoko stepped out of her boots and followed Ren inside with house slippers.

"Would you like anything to drink?" He shuffled towards the fridge.

"No, I ate well at the restaurant," _Oh, how embarrassing! That waiter...ugh! Ignore what happened. If you ignore it, it will go away. _

Ren pulled out an ice tray and a bottle of alcohol. Most of the drinks the Daruma-ya served during Happy Hour weren't as extravagant as the ones that lined Ren's cabinet.

"Whiskey, Mogami-san," He shook the bottle in front of her, answering the questioning look on her face. He was quite sure he'd need it by the end of the night.

"I've never had alcohol," She muttered, shy in front of an adult who seemed experienced in drinking. Not that he was an alcoholic or anything - !

"I should think not. You're still a minor," Ren chided and poured himself a glass.

A naïve curiosity bloomed in her mind. She couldn't believe she was thinking it, but every kid has dreamed of drinking and its notorious effects.

"How...how is it like to drink?" She asked timidly.

Ren dropped his glass.

"AH! Tsuruga-san!" Glass shattered, skipping off the tiled kitchen, flickering to and fro. Whiskey soaked their feet.

A wet, burning feeling shot up Kyoko's leg. "Ow!"

"Mogami-san!" Ren's brows furrowed on his anxious face. He bowed to her face, looking at her pained expression, then down to her bleeding leg.

"The glass..." She pointed to the glittering bits decorating her leg.

"I-I am so sorry. I - that was clumsy of me. I apologize -" Ren dithered, hovering over the mess he'd made with the glass and the whiskey and her blood, worried eyes flickering from her face and then to the floor.

"Please don't blame yourself. It was my fault for asking something so foolish. I startled you, so don't lower yourself to apologizing to me," Kyoko bowed rapidly. How could she allow Tsuruga Ren to apologize to her? No way! She was a hundred years too early for that.

Ren stopped fretting and in a heartbeat, he scooped Kyoko into his arms. She gasped at the sudden feeling of his strong arms tightening over her waist and under her naked legs.

He swiftly carried her over to his couch, avoiding pieces of glass strewn in his path.

"Don't worry. I have a first aid kit. I'll get the glass out," Ren stood and stalked off.

"W-Wait! Don't trouble yourself-" He was gone.

Kyoko's outstretched arm fell limply to her side. She exhaled and stared at the damage. There were four pieces embedded in her leg. It stung, the combination of alcohol burning at her open wounds.

She heard Ren's hurried footsteps and smiled. She was lucky to have such a caring man in her life.

Wait. MAN in her life? As in...no! She slapped her head. That sounded like he was her boyfriend or something! No, no, no. She would not think of him that way. She couldn't.

_Rephrase that, mind, _Kyoko growled.

Okay. She was lucky to have such a caring_ sempai. _There. Kyoko relaxed. That sounded much better. She was grateful to her _sempai. _Not her man.

Her mind wandered at the thought of Ren being her man. How strange. Cooking for him, praising his work...cuddling with him...kissing him? She already did two out of four of those things...well, did a kiss on the cheek count? Two and a half, then.

"Mogami-san?" Ren face appeared above her.

"Eh?" Her face was red from the thought of cuddling with Ren. How would he react to that? He was big enough to cuddle with her, like a giant teddy bear. Her cheeks puffed with restrained laughter. How adorable would he look with cushiony brown arms full of stuffing and soft, round ears?

"Is something the matter?" Ren deadpanned. Had she gone delirious from four cuts on her leg?

"N-No! It's fine," She clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes bulging.

"Are you laughing at me?" His expression darkened.

This sobered her up immediately. "Absolutely not. I was just thinking of something ridiculous," She offered him her Cutie Honey smile.

She was alone with him in his apartment. Vulnerable and alone. Immobile on his couch. If he stared at her smile for too long, he'd be jailed for doing all sorts of illegal things to her.

He chose to point his gaze to her leg. It was lean and fair, save for the glass and blood. She reminded him so much of a fairy, so graceful and honey-eyed. He fought to keep his eyes on her calf and not to trail up her thighs. Considering how short the dress was, he would have to keep his eyes away from the shadows leading between her thighs.

Taking clean tweezers, Ren gently gripped the biggest piece. A pained whimper stopped him.

He looked up at her face, scrunched in pain.

"Does it hurt that bad?"

"I'm sorry for being weak, but it stings a lot," She said softly.

This squeezed his chest. He hated to see her in pain. That, combined with the fact that it was approaching three o' clock AM, was what drove him to say what he said next.

"How about killing two birds with one stone? You were curious about alcohol, right?"

Kyoko blushed and looked away. Ren couldn't help but smile at her embarrassment.

"Whiskey will help with the pain. I know you're a minor, but -"

"Okay. The sooner we get the glass out and clean up, the sooner we can go to bed," Kyoko said sleepily. Neither of them had noticed how tired they were. Ren was too busy replaying the 'we can go to bed' part Kyoko had irresponsibly said.

Ren got two glasses and the bottle to the living room and set them on the table.

"We can drink the first shot together," He grinned and poured.

_"Getting us drunk? That is so low," Sex Kitten clucked her tongue. _

"I'm not planning on staying dry either." The Emperor muttered darkly.

Kyoko took the shot glass in both hands and looked up at him. "Let's have a toast. To a good future and to good health!"

Ren smiled and they toasted. He expertly tilted his head back and took the shot.

She watched him drink it all at once, with his Adam's apple bobbing. He was pretty even when drinking. Amazing.

Following suit, Kyoko tilted her head back and allowed the whiskey to burn its way down her throat. For a first time drinker, a minor, a light-weight - this shot shocked her so much that she didn't feel a thing when Ren yanked the shard of glass out.

"One down, Mogami-san. Three more to go," He disinfected the gash.

"You took it out? I didn't notice..." Kyoko watched him patch her leg up with diligence that made her smile at him.

"That was terrible, by the way," She was grossed out by the taste in her mouth and the burning alcohol in her throat and stomach. How horrible. No matter how pretty it looked in bottles and television, in real life, it was disgusting.

"It grows on you," Ren said wistfully. "You'll need three more for the next three shards,"

"Yes," Kyoko extended her glass. He poured one for himself, too.

_One, two, three...ugh, this stuff is lethal! How do people drink this? _Kyoko teared, but Ren managed to pull out another shard.

"Are you tipsy yet?" He teased.

"No. I'm fine," Kyoko grumbled at his patronizing tone.

"Two more," He chuckled at her defiant look. She was taking alcohol like a champ. He couldn't believe that he was proud of her for it. That was his girl, sweet and strong.

After the third shot, the whiskey got to her. She quietly watched Ren handle her like a china doll. His intense dark eyes were cradled in sooty, girly lashes. His jaw was hard and screamed masculine. His nose was straight and his hair begged for her fingers to comb through it.

In the presence of the hottest bachelor in Japan while drunk was absolute insanity.

Every feature was amplified to the extent that she was prepared to jump his bones. She was prepared to build a shrine for this beautiful deity from Heaven who was playing nurse for her and getting her drunk. He had been beautiful enough for her to make dolls of him, but that was her finding his physical anatomy nice enough to duplicate.

This admiration was different.

_He _is_ a man, you idiot, The Sex Kitten reminded. Tsuruga Ren. You know, the man who loves you and whose feelings you ignore because of some heart-breaking and unappreciative idiot from your past? _

"Tsuruga-san," Kyoko whispered. Her gold eyes were watery, mouth pouty. She was looking at him in such a mind-blowing way, like there was no one in the world she wanted more.

"All the glass is out," He said quickly. "I'm disinfecting the last cut. Then I'll wrap a bandage around your leg. You can borrow one of my shirts to go to sleep in. My guest room and bathroom are - "

"You talk fast when you're nervous," The Sex Kitten sat up. He was wrapping gauze around her leg at a rapid pace.

"There. You know where the bathroom is," He stood up like he'd been burnt. "Alright then. Goodnight, Mogami-san,"

"Ren...I can't walk," The Sex Kitten pouted. "Carry me to the bathroom. Let's take a shower,"

"Your tongue is reckless, Mogami-san. Don't say such misleading things," Ren glared down at her. The sexual frustration was getting to him.

"Let's take a bath together!" Kyoko chirped, flapping her arms at him to pick her up.

"Mog-"

"Pick me up!"

Ren sighed. He felt the soft skin of her thighs when his hands curled under her legs. He pulled her up effortlessly. He was going to argue that she didn't need a bath, that she smelled wonderful, as usual. But the smell of booze infected her scent and Ren knew she needed to take a bath.

_She's going to hate you in the morning. _

Fuck it. I can make something up to excuse my behavior.

That's more like it, The Emperor approved.

Something in Ren snapped then.

How dare she do this to him? Ignore his feelings and then play with them? Well! It seemed like he was on a roll tonight. He makes her jealous; she makes him jealous. She teases him; he teases her.

The Emperor had awoken.

The Sex Kitten grinned at him. "Yonder!" She pointed in the wrong direction.

When they reached his enormous bathroom, he plopped her into his enormous bath tub. The Emperor saw her long legs spread in front of her, like the awkward legs of a baby deer, as they adjusted to sitting on the tub.

She inadvertently flashed him her panties. He caught white lace and pink. The Emperor smirked. He'd see what kind of underwear she was wearing soon enough.

The momentary shock startled the Sex Kitten.

"I think you might need help with removing that dress," The Emperor looked down at her with dark, hooded eyes.

The Sex Kitten smiled and curled her fingers under the bottom of the sweater dress. She began to pull up, exposing the white panties polka-dotted with pink. There was a little white satin bow on the front of it with a pale pink lace trim Ren had mistaken for white.

So innocently sexy. Such childish underwear covering something anything but childish.

The dress was below her chest when she stopped. He got a full view of her tiny waist and the soft, pale skin of her tummy.

"Re~n," She extended her arms up like a kid. "I need help,"

"Of course," He snapped to attention, fingers clamped around the sweater dress. He jerked it up, exposing a surprisingly sexy bra that didn't match with her panties. It was a tan, lacy push up that melted into her skin tone. Her modest breasts were heaved up and held tightly in the bra.

His fingers left shocks and tingles in their wake. Her sides were goosebumping, and she was glad her bra was padded enough to hide her hardening nipples when his fingertips ran over the sides of bra.

He had the dress up to her arms and over her head. Finally, the dress was crumpled in his arms. Ren threw it into the hamper, eyes only for the tipsy girl in her mismatched underwear, sitting in his bath tub before him.

The Emperor lunged.

His fingers found her soft, supple thighs and pushed them away, so his knees were between her legs. She brought her face up to his and rubbed her lips against his, clumsy and inexperienced, but sweet nonetheless.

A drunk Kyoko wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing his face even closer.

Ren's eyes were dilated and dark, soaking up the image of her closed eyes, her dark lashes fluttering over her cheekbones, her flushed cheeks, and the sound of her mewls and squeaks as she desperately pressed against him.

He slowly danced his fingertips along her thighs, cupping her butt and moving up to her waist. His touches elicited her gasps, as she breathlessly opened her lips, kissed red. He took the opportunity and drove his tongue into her mouth. She moaned when his tongue flickered to the sensitive roof of her mouth, and found her own tongue, shy at meeting his tongue.

"Tsuru-" Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt.

Ren expertly broke the clasp of her bra, freeing her sweet little breasts from their imprisonment. Her tips were a lovely dark pink, virgins to touch.

His fingers tweaked and rubbed her. Kyoko's eyes snapped open at the sudden feel of his rough fingers at her sensitive nipples. It hurt so _good._ A loud moan tore from her mouth, which was being ravaged by Ren's tongue.

"Kyoko." He murmured into her mouth, twisting her buds roughly, causing another loud moan. Her cheeks reddened and her gold eyes were hazy with arousal. Her sensitivity was stroking his male ego. He cupped her breasts, groping like an eager teenage boy she reverted him to.

Her fingers had halted. He smirked at this and unbuttoned the rest before flinging the shirt to the floor with Kyoko's dress.

She had opened her eyes to the body of the Most Desired Man in Japan as he stood. Lightly tanned skin stretched tautly over rippling muscle. He was pure, raw man. His chest was flat and hard, tipped with dark brown. A sprinkling of blonde hair, surely spun from Jason's Golden Fleece trailed down from the bottom of his belly button and disappeared teasingly under his slacks.

Her state of mind didn't allow the revelation that Tsuruga Ren was a natural blonde to be a big thing. She stood with a wobble in her step, forgetting her injured leg. Kyoko's hands memorized the hard line of his body, to his lean stomach up to his broad shoulders. Her hands fell to the hard bulge she found at the top of his dark slacks.

A feral groan erupted from Ren, and she watched him close his eyes tightly when she lightly touched him. When he opened his smoldering eyes, they screamed primitive.

He roughly squeezed her to his body, bringing her up to his lips for a violent kiss. He forced his tongue into her mouth, fingers caught in her bleached copper hair.

All he felt was her soft, sensitized breasts, tipped dark red from his ministrations, pressed to his hard chest, her lips invigorating the nerves in his lips, and her tongue hesitantly wrestling his.

She felt the hardness brush against her panties when she tangled her legs around his hips.

"Kyoko," He growled when he felt her heated core pressing against him.

"Ren-" She licked his bottom lip, glassy ochre eyes zeroed in on his red mouth.

He moaned when she sucked on his lower lip.

"I'm-"

He covered her mouth with his, muffling her sentiment.

Ren felt her little hands on his chest, pushing him away from her mouth.

"I'm..."

"You are?" He attacked her mouth, frustrated at her resistance.

"Sleepy..." Suddenly her head rolled onto his chest, legs loosening from his hips. Like a cold shower (literally), she fell asleep in his arms.

Ren wanted to cry.

He took the sleeping girl in his arms and stepped out of the bathtub.

The Emperor had fled his body. Now he gently set Kyoko onto his bed. Her bright orange hair created a halo around her peaceful face. He pulled his blanket to cover the thoroughly fondled breasts he'd probably never see again after tonight.

She let out a little mewl that tempted him to cuddle her in his arms. Instead he wandered into the living room, dropped down to the floor with his back against his couch, and took a swig of whiskey, straight from the bottle.

His bedfellow was not the girl he was in love with, in just her polka-dotted panties, sleeping soundly in his bed. It was his whiskey sharing his couch tonight.

* * *

><p><strong>halfdemonfan<strong>

-I hope you found this interesting ;)

**21han**

-Ohh, yes. I love an angry Tsuruga Ren. It's hot.

**Piacine - Jadeymay**

-Great minds think alike! I love the idea of the Emperor playing with the Sex Kitten. Did you dirty thoughts translate?

**shadowsfromthedream**

-Thank you for praising my writing style :D

**Shiroyuki76**

-Kyoko is romantically defected for sure.

**pielovingchick**

-Revenge has been served.

**alitablake**

-This is so much fun to write. I wrote this on whim. I thought the potion was a silly little idea that I'd write up anyway. And of course, Ren-torture is endless fun.

**QuiksilverGirl**

-New reviewer? :D I love you. Welcome to the M realm. No sex (yet) but this definitely deserves an M rating now.

**Swt Cutie**

-I love you.

**Interficere**

-Writing the war between the Sex Kitten and the Emperor is fun fun fun :] There shall be more to come.

**ElheiM**

-I think Kyoko's Grudges and Co. are so adorable! I just had to add them in with the Sex Kitten. Was the bathtub scene hot enough for you? ;]

**Indiahenna**

-New reviewer! I love you. Lots of devilish things coming up. As for our Shoutaro...I probably will weave him into the story somehow.

**Sugarpunch18**

-I lol'd at the idea of 'of course only _Reino _would bring about the Emperor, the bastard'. Aw, shucks. Praising my so-called creativity.

**Sere'sLight**

-Your Spidey Senses were correct! Hot bathtub scene for my readers.

**Paigeydoll**

-Kyoko is one of my favorite characters of all time too. :)

**puterisakura**

-New reviewer, I love you. It seems everyone loves to bully Ren. xD.

**mysweetkat**

-Oooh I got shivers out of you? Nice. And the 'hot tamales!' really made me laugh. Thank you.

**lol. I was listening to Jesse McCartney while writing the Bathtub Scene (and yes, I'm typing it with capitals. It was my first official smut scene I wrote while listening to a former teen heart-throb. It deserves the Caps.)**

**I love my readers very much. I hope you enjoyed reading this update. :)**

**Also, I dug up a little ironic tidbit. Did you know that the "first hard-core porn actress in Japan" is named Aizome Kyoko? I chortled.**


	10. Kyoko the Arcade Nerd

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Skip Beat!

It was cold when Kyoko woke.

Her bleary, sleep-ridden eyes blinked at the sunlight dappling her bare skin through the window. Had she forgotten to draw the curtains? And since when did she sleep in the nude?

The more she looked, the less this room looked like her room in the Daruma-ya.

She sat up with a start and regretted it when a throbbing in her temple made her dizzy.

Where was she? And why did it feel colder? She looked down, and to her horror, she was naked! Kyoko choked on air as she covered her naked chest, confusion crippling her.

There were a lot of things wrong with this situation.

For one, she was waking up in someone else's bed.

Two, she was naked (although upon further inspection, she had her panties on. Thank God.)

Three, her head hurt and she felt nauseous.

And four, why did she stink of alcohol...and was that Tsuruga-san's cologne in her hair? On her skin? In fact, the whole room had tell-tale signs of his cologne.

She slid out of the large bed, memory blank.

And five, Kyoko thought grimly as she squeaked an "ouch!" when landing on her feet, why was her leg bandaged and hurting?

Kyoko pulled off the sheet and wore them like makeshift toga and trooped into the living room.

She gasped.

Tsuruga Ren's face was planted on the table, fingers choking the neck of an empty whiskey bottle.

Shirtless.

Why was he shirtless? She cried. Why am I shirtless? Though the view was pleasant for Sex Kitten, Kyoko blushed furiously.

She approached him like he was a dangerous animal. Her steps were silent as she stood above him.

"Ts-Tsuruga-san?"

No answer.

"Tsuruga-san? Are you alive?" Her brows creased in worry. She had seen customers pass out after heavy bouts of drinking, many with alcohol poisoning. "Wake up,"

She hesitantly shook his shoulders.

A hoarse groan came from him, making the young actress jump.

At least he wasn't dead.

"Tsuruga-san," Her fingers sifted in his dark hair, marveling at the silkiness. "Please wake up. We have to film for Da-"

Kyoko froze.

What time was it? _Shit! _She ran back to his room and checked the digital clock that smugly informed her that it was approaching one o'clock in the afternoon.

One! They were suppose to be there at seven in the morning!

A blood-curdling scream woke a hungover Ren, who glared at the direction of the banshee-like cry.

"TSURUGA-SAN!" Oh.

Right. _That _banshee had awoken.

Ren tried preparing himself for the restraining order she'd surely put on him, now that she realized that he'd almost taken advantage of her while she was drunk. He tried to emotionally ready himself for the rejection of the century, the heartache he'd have to suffer through now that she'd never look at him again.

_"You dirty old man!" _She'd wail and run away from him with the force of a stampede.

If that scream was any indication, she was more than ready to give him a ticket straight to Hell, after cursing him into the next millennium.

Ren steadied himself on his feet, trying to ignore the pick-axe hammering into his brain from all that drinking. Would he be pushing it if he asked her to make him a hangover remedy before she left?

"TSURUGA-SAN! DO YOU REALIZE THAT WE MISSED AN ENTIRE DAY OF SHOOTING?" She stormed in looking like an angry Greek goddess, and Kami-sama did it turn him on.

The sheets she stole from his bed draped over her tiny frame exposed the lean line of her legs and her sloping, feminine shoulders.

"Did you hear me? We missed filming! We must have disrupted shooting so badly. An entire day's worth! Maybe they couldn't film at all without Katsuki. I'll get fired - I'm not that important, but Tsuruga-san, what does that say about your work habits? I've ruined your reputation as a professional! I should have woken up - are you listening?"

She was distinctly aware that his eyes were wandering over her body, specifically at her lips.

They were bitten red from his kisses from last night, though of that she wasn't aware.

"Tsuruga-san? W-Why are you smiling so..." _So much like the Emperor?_

"I didn't listen to a word," He pinned her to the spot with a predatory look and took a long step into her personal space.

"Ts-"

"Do you remember anything? At all? From last night?"

"Last night...Tsuruga-san, pl-please don't say things that would cause a misunderstanding," Her cheeks turned pink. "The important thing is to call Director Ogata and apologize for -"

"So you aren't curious at all about why we are wearing significantly less clothing than we did when we entered my home?"

"Well, of c-course-" Lord, the Emperor's smirk was getting her very hot and very bothered. He towered over her in a dominant way, making her back away.

He caught up, advancing to match her retreating.

"Are you honestly more concerned about missing a full day's worth of work-" _Fuck, that really is bad, though. My reputation is scarred. _"-than knowing why you woke up in a man's apartment, in his bed, with little clothing? Not remembering a thing and having a hideous headache?"

"Well, I'd like to apologize for our poor work ethic before-" _Before you devour me! What's with that look in your eyes, Tsuruga-san!_ "I get to the bottom of _this_,"

She motioned to her state of relative undress, cheeks a lovely pink.

"How are you not upset about this, Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko asked, tilting her head up in that endearing way of hers.

"It's like this, Mogami-san," He sighed, scrubbing his head with his hand, backing away from her. "There are so many bad things happening one after the other, I think I'm in the state of shock,"

Hungover, blue as the berry, horny, sleepy, disappointed - oh, he could go on.

This made Ren beyond angry. So angry, in fact, that it cancelled out and became indifference.

Kyoko was beyond confused. Was this really the Tsuruga Ren who had drilled professionalism into her brain so many times it became the mantra she recited every time he was upset? The one who had actually down right hated her for her reasons for entering show business? The one who had thrown illness into the wind to film a scene under pouring water?

And yet he was regarding missing an _entire day's worth of filming _flippantly. _What the hell! _Had some alien taken over his brain? Or maybe he'd been possessed by some devil-may-care demon who scoffed at acting.

Such a ridiculously complex man.

While she was giving him an exasperated and suspicious look, Ren was examining her bare neck.

The reflection of the table he had slept on had revealed a dark, misshapen mark on his jaw that resembled a hickey. In the midst of assaulting Kyoko, he really didn't notice the little vixen's teeth nipping at his face until the tinted mirror of his pillow for the night told him otherwise.

"Mogami-san," He interrupted what seemed to be a piercing and paranoid stare at his forehead. "I think I'll tell you what happened last night,"

"Don't say things that will cause a misu-"

"Mogami-san is a very bad drunk,"

_NO! This is not the time for the Emperor to show up_, she griped.

"_That Emperor bastard - !" The Sex Kitten whipped her head at his direction, peering through Kyoko's eyes. "He won, didn't he?" _

_ The Grudges had since turned into ashes at the torture that was Ren's lust. _

_ The Angels cowered in a dark corner in their Master's mind. _

_ "S-She fell asleep before he could do anything else," Angel Kyoko said. _

_ "HA! How's that for a cold shower, grandpa?" Sex Kitten sent an ugly sneer at him. _

_ "Grandpa? 'Tsuruga Ren' might think four years is a big age difference, but I have no problem copping a feel from her," The Emperor proclaimed arrogantly. _

_ "Cradle robber." _

"A bad drunk? How so?" Kyoko edged away, but The Emperor of the Night continued till her butt hit a wall. His large hands pressed upon the wall on either side of her head, effectively caging her between his long arms.

"Well," Kyoko gulped when his hot breath dusted her neck, making her shiver. "You hate seeing me in clothing,"

_WHAT? _

"You insisted on taking my shirt off," The Emperor grinned into the crook of her neck. "Managed to rip out a couple of buttons," He lightly pressed his lips on her neck, receiving another shiver from her. "It was a nice shirt too. I'll have to replace it,"

"W-W-What are you-"

"Let me finish, Mogami-san," The devil clucked his tongue, and she felt it flicker on her skin. A jolt of electricity spread throughout her body at the single motion. Kyoko dared to glance at his face and found him looking up at her with dark eyes through his lashes.

"After you stripped me, you decided that you didn't like wearing clothes yourself,"

"_LIES. HE'S A LIAR". Angel Kyoko roared, stunning the Sex Kitten. _

"Then you fell asleep in the bathtub after you made me carry you there," His full lips pressed harder against the sensitive skin of her neck. Then she felt his teeth.

"Tsuruga-san!"

He was sucking on her neck like a leech! The sensation caused her skin to prickle with goosebumps and it hurt in the strangest way. His hands slid closer to her head on the wall as he bit harder.

She yelped, and to her horror, a strangled moan stumbled out after the yelp.

The Emperor smiled and pulled away.

His face was a breath away. His eyes were far too intense for her, the way they devoured her.

"Do you see this?" The Emperor pointed to the odd looking bruise on his jaw. "You did that too,"

"I beat you?" She breathed. Was she going to make the Demon Lord appear too? What the hell kind of drunk was she! Stripping poor Tsuruga-san and then beating him up?

He let out a dry laugh. "No," His nose brushed hers as he forced her to look him in the eyes. "You gave me a love bite,"

If her eyes were wide before, now they were stretched like elastic.

"L-L-Lo-"

"I was just returning the favor," He smiled cheekily and pointed at her abused neck.

Ren pushed off of the wall. Kyoko tried to blot the feel of his lips on her skin.

_LOVE BITE? _

_"No, she actually did do that. The author of this fanfic just forgot to wr-FFFOO-_"

_"Was that chloroform?" The Sex Kitten pointed at the angel who had been dragged off with a white rag over her terrified face. _

_ A surviving Grudge shrugged. _

"Therefore, Mogami-san," The shirtless liar stretched sinuously, like a wild cat waking from a nap. "take heed before drinking. God knows what you might end up doing while drunk. You're lucky the first time you drank heavily was around me - who knows who could've taken advantage of you. Although, you shouldn't be drinking at all, am I right, Mogami-san?"

"I APOLOGIZE_._" Kyoko dropped into a dogeza. Her teary face looked up at him. "I will never drink again. I am so so so sorry!"

Ren expected this. If she hadn't blacked out, he would have been the one in a dogeza, begging for her forgiveness.

In fact, he could have told her that they found a couple of puppies on fire and that they had used their clothing to beat the fire out. Then they went to his place and drank away the sorrows of unsuccessfully extinguishing the fire.

He could have used anything, really.

_The view down the toga is nice though, isn't it? _The Emperor murmured his approval. 

"It's alright. I'm just glad you've learned your lesson," Ren squatted down and petted her little orange head.

She nodded furiously and stood up.

"We need to call-"

"The day is shot. We could call Director Ogata, but filming has been over for hours. I've missed a couple of public appearances and interviews,"

"I'm suppose to be at school. Thankfully there's no shooting for Box 'R' today," Kyoko sighed and drifted to the kitchen.

"Maybe this is a sign from the gods," Kyoko spun around to see, dare she say it, a _mischievous _sparkle in his eyes. "Let's be reckless today,"

"Play hooky?" Kyoko screeched, a pot in hand.

He held his hands up in peace, in case she used the pot as a weapon to bash his head in.

"We're human after all. I haven't had a break in...God, for a long time," Ren tousled his hair with his eyes looking beyond her. His eyes darted to her startled gold ones. "I'm sure you've been just as busy."

"Not as busy as you," She shook her head, remembering his schedule as his temporary manager.

"Still. Sometimes you have to let loose,"

Unbelievable. This could not be Ren. No way. 'Let loose'? Kyoko sooner thought the stars would turn off before she heard Tsuruga Ren say something so...uncharacteristic of his serious disposition.

"Don't look at me like that, Mogami-san," He chuckled at her face. So expressive, though she usually regarded him with horror or fear. "Is it so wrong of me to actually do something fun for once?"

_Uh, yes. _

"Fun?" Kyoko fussed over the stove, performing things a food-illiterate person like Ren couldn't follow.

Besides work, which Kyoko found to be very fun indeed, her mind wandered to the memory of her and Shotaro's early days in Tokyo.

For fun, idiot Sho had indulged in his competitiveness by challenging unsightly adolescent boys in the arcade.

"The arcade? I haven't really been to one," Ren mused.

_Telepathy? So there _is _something wrong with his head!_

"Stop with that face. You said 'arcade' out loud," He glowered at her.

"Oh," She mumbled in embarrassment. He laughed at her expense.

"That does sound fun. Do you know where to find one?"

This man...he really didn't realize his status as a star. If he strolled into an arcade, he'd be found out by the press. Not only would the Dark Moon cast know of his behavior, but so would the rest of Japan. People might not want him in their movies for being a naughty boy and skipping when he felt like it.

Oh, he was on a self-destructive path! _Tsuruga-san! _

One look at her face made him meekly say, "I'll go find my hat and sunglasses."

* * *

><p>After a force-fed breakfast, the poorly disguised actors sneaked into Ren's car.<p>

Ren adjusted his pair of sunglasses on his nose as he drove to the arcade. Kyoko highly doubted that idiotic Shotaro would be there. He had stopped going so he wouldn't look like a loser and damage his image.

Her mood dampened again at the thought of him.

Ugh.

"So, you're an arcade nerd?" Ren teased.

"No! Whenever I went with that stupid Sho he made me order junk food and hand feed it to him while he played Dance Dance Revolution!" Kyoko scowled.

Ren snorted. _Of course _he _has to ruin everything for her. The prick. _

In America, arcades dotted most malls. Ren, being the outdoorsy type, never liked bleaching his skin under the glow of computers or the flashy lights of arcade games.

His curiosity was piqued, though. It was a guilty pleasure he avoided as a child.

Ren parked the car and went around to meet Kyoko. She shoved the glasses closer to her face, scrunching her nose adorably. "Tsuruga-san, wouldn't it strike people as weird to be wearing hats and sunglasses inside an arcade?"

He waved her off. "We can tell them we're cosplaying."

Kyoko felt something slippery underneath her shoe. She lifted it to see a picture of a strange-looking person who had an indistinguishable gender. She picked it up and saw the androgynous person coming out of the photo booth.

"Um, is this yours?" Kyoko held it out to him/her.

The person grunted at her and snatched it from her before stalking out.

How odd.

"Mogami-san?" Ren turned around to see her blinking after some kid who had left. She looked at him and pointed to the photo booth with a shy smile.

"Could we take pictures?" She asked sweetly.

He fought off a divine, Grudge-slaying smile.

"Of course."

He held his hand out and she hesitantly took it. His giant hand engulfed hers when he led her into the photo booth.

"We need tokens-"

"I'll get some," Ren left her sitting inside the booth.

Kyoko sat, her fingers trembling, eyes wide. Her heart was pitter-pattering like crazy, like a caged bird. His touch, and then that love bite this morning - that man was driving her nuts. She touched her fingers to her neck where his lips had been, face heating up.

She peeked out of the curtain, and saw him returning. Most of the kids playing were to focused on their games to notice the giant walking to and fro. Thankfully, there weren't many fangirls, so the arcade felt relatively safe for the both of them.

Ren ducked into the booth and sat besides her. It suddenly reminded him that he could have taken her to the prince/princess shoot as a late White Day present. She seemed okay today. Was the Sex Kitten gone?

His eyes stole glances at her. Kyoko pulled the glasses and the hat off and placed them on her lap. She was still wearing the purple sweater dress from yesterday.

"Ready?" Ren took off his own disguise and place it besides him.

"Yup," Kyoko beamed and looked at the camera. Sitting stiffly with as much distance as she could, they took a picture.

"So stiff. If this was a real photo shoot, the photographer would have eaten you alive," Ren laughed at her serious face. He casually put an arm around her, allowing her to smell his delicious cologne to her heart's content.

She stiffened further at his arm until Ren's breath was at her ear, telling her to relax.

And so relax she did. If this was a real photo shoot, she'd have to look casual and happy.

With a soft smile, she leaned closer to him. This photo was of Kyoko looking completely at ease, with Ren's shocked face looking at her.

She was really getting into it. Soon she had her arm around his neck, hugging her to him. _Snap._ Pressing her cheek against his. _Snap. _Grinning like the cheeky little vixen she was. _Snap. _Then she kissed his cheek. _Snap. _

"You're certainly warming up to this," He whispered huskily into her ear.

She froze. "Am I being too familiar, Tsuruga-san?"

He smiled at her. "Not at all,"

Picture of him whispering sweet nothings into her ear? _Snap. _

His arm tightened around her. _Snap. _

They both grinned at the camera. _Snap. _

Ren kissed her on the cheek. _Snap. _

She blushed and stared at him with a scandalized look. _Snap. _

He smiled back._ Snap._

Kyoko stared at his lips. They kissed on the lips a couple of times already...was it okay to give him a friendly peck?

She leaned up to his face, lips nearing his.

"Alright, then. We ran out of tokens, Mogami-san," Ren looked down at her closed eyes and puckered lips. He hid his smile as he slid out of the photo booth.

Kyoko opened her eyes and saw that Ren had vanished. Blushing heavily, she slapped her head for being such an idiot. _Stupid, stupid! Don't assume you can just go and kiss Tsuruga Ren! _

"These came out really nice." Ren showed her the strips.

Tucked inside his pocket was the picture of her trying to kiss him. That was going to live inside his wallet from now on.

* * *

><p><strong>Interficere<strong> : Blue balls indeed! And the suspension of belief bit made me smile, because it really did seem like he was going to get some, but eh, this is Kyoko we're talking about. Her body unconsciously deflects any lust or love from Ren. *shakes head*.

**21han** : The Emperor and Sex Kitten interactions are fun to write. I'm happy you enjoyed it too :)

**MissTiburtius** : Aw, shucks. You made me blush. Thank you for reading.

**mysweetkat**: I feel like she would do something like falling asleep on a guy while making out with him. She's such a silly girl.

**EMF6**: New reviewer, I love you. Torture will be distributed to both the girls and the boys now.

**StrawberryJellyPie**: Wow. I made your mind faint and made you blush :D Mission accomplished. I love you.

**Lemoncherry**: I love you. I feel better that you think my updating is reasonable (phew). :)

**Kariramos**: I love you. Thank you for calling the story "fascinating".

**allanimehere**: I love you, new reviewer. Although your comment on "skipping a chapter" didn't make sense. About the porn thing, I really wouldn't know all about that, aha. Or the alcohol. Keep in mind that this is a fanfic.

**Shiroyuki76**: I like the refreshing comment :) I agree about Skip Beat! being a fun story with hints of darkness. I want this story to be happy and fun to read. And I am so sorry - I realized after reading it that the italics I put didn't show up, and since I'm technologically stupid, I'm not sure how to go back and fix it. Thank you for bringing that up, though. I'll make sure to make it clearer next time.

**perfect beauty**: The beauty of fanfics is that you can make your characters do anything.  
>(cue evil cackle).<p>

**halfdemonfan**: Hm...puking would have been interesting :P I'm not that cruel.

**ElheiM:** Lol, it'll take some time for those two to get around to getting it on. The Sex Kitten and the Emperor shall be doing lots of communicating in chapters to come.

**paigeydoll:** It would definitely be better if she was sober when they have sex. There'd be a shitload of hate from her side if he took her, ahem, chastity, while drunk. He'd be pissed too, I'd imagine.

**Piacine - Jadeymay:** One day. Aha. Oh Kyoko. And the meeting is in the chapter after this one.

(I think).

**Voidy**: I love you. I think it's interesting you made the connection with Ren being a puppy type and Kyoko being a kitten. And thank you for the "simple idea but you telltale it well" comment. That's what I was aiming for. :)

**J Luc Pitard**: Aha, "the age old bottle instead of hot babe decision" made me lol. I love you.

**Swt Cutie**: Thank you :D

**chaos:** I love you. lol I stopped too soon xD

**loveinchaos** : I love you. There you are! Ren is pwned in the last chapter, but he ends up winning by blaming her for being a drunken slut. And yes, Ren and Reino are getting breaks in the following updates. Blue ovaries for the girls. hehe.

**Kanae and Reino are coming up in the next installment.**

**Hope you enjoyed reading. **


	11. Ren vs Sho

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Skip Beat.

The arcade was five stories high.

Unsurprising that Tokyo would be equipped with arcades _that _big. The lower the floor, the easier the games were. As one went higher up the building, the games got harder. Each floor had its own theme, too.

Ren, being an amateur, tried his hand at a couple of games on the first floor. Kyoko amused herself with Ms. Pacman, while Ren messed with Donkey Kong.

For the first time in a while, Ren was employing and enjoying his wealth. The fact that he was Japan's sweetheart paid very well. He carelessly bought tokens every time he saw Kyoko's handful of gold coins decrease, as well as his own pile of tokens jingling in his pocket.

The elaborate set-up of cranes caught his eye.

There was a series of glass tanks, with neon-pink trim and fluorescent lights, filled with strange stuffed toys that the female counterpart of the rare teenage couple squealed over.

Ren squinted at a tank full of colorful, smiling...garlic? They were shaped that way and quite creepy.

The next tank had stuffed bears, some in yellow raincoats. It looked uncomfortable for them to be contained and smothered with a mechanical claw scratching at them whenever someone unsuccessfully maneuvered the joy stick.

"Sho and I went to an arcade once that had cranes with live lobsters inside! They were delicious," Kyoko appeared next to him, having followed his gaze.

She hated Shotaro, but admittedly, they shared tons of fun together as children and in Tokyo. That particular anecdote brought a little pain into her heart. She was more than happy to lose him as a love interest, but he had been her best and only friend.

The conflicting emotion and that cute little story had Ren pissed off. There was no way some memories would make her love that guy again, right?

Ren's ease was slipping.

"Can we go try those cranes?" Kyoko interrupted his descent into the Demon Lord with a little hand curled around his forearm. He looked down at the golden eyes that shown even brighter in the dim arcade.

"Which one?" Ren felt himself being led past obese stuffed frogs, a cast of Disney characters plushies, collector figures of anime characters, and plushy cylindrical robots with diagonally striped-pink birthday hats with green poofs on top.

"Wait!" Kyoko raced back to the Disney display.

Her eyes grew and watered. There were the Seven Dwarves from Snow White, Cinderella's glass slippers, indignant Donald Ducks, and grumpy Beasts.

"Tsuruga-san! I want Beast!" Kyoko pointed frantically at Beast, smeared into a corner of the glass tank.

_Damn. Crane games? If I can't get it for her...fuck, if that Fuwa can get a live lobster out of these things, how can I afford not to get a plushy Disney character? _

Ren gave a pained smile and put the tokens in.

Kyoko grinned up at him.

The joystick had a clear magenta ball on top, and Ren's hands covered it completely.

_For the sake of my ego and for her, I need to get Beast. _

Oblivious to his internal turmoil over plucking a toy out of a machine for the girl he loved, Kyoko looked on, content for once. The girl in her was fine with Ren getting her a toy. The Sex Kitten in her decided not to inform him that the lobster that she and Sho had gotten from that arcade once was a result of her efforts rather than his.

A certain buxom brunette rolled onto her stomach, eyes peering bleakly at the alarm clock that told her that it was well past one-something in the afternoon. Way past recording time.

She shot of bed. Oh no.

Ugh! So many appointments missed! How did this happen?

Dread pooled in her stomach, but her eyes searched for a certain head of blonde hair attached to the rather hard head of her charge

Shoko Aki fell off the bed.

She rubbed her sore and very impressive butt and ambled into the living room.

"Sho?" She called.

Silence.

Oh, where did her spoiled little pop star go?

"Sho?" She peeked into the kitchen. Nope. Her songbird had flown away. Kami knows where.

"Sho," Shoko sing-songed. "I'm going to take a shower,"

…

"I'm going to be naked,"

…

"And wet,"

…

"I'm leaving the door open,"

…

"Damn, that usually works," Shoko muttered darkly, eyebrows creased. Sighing, she searched for her phone. She rung him up, but it went straight to voice mail.

"Pick up the phone!" She growled.

No such luck.

Sighing again, she dropped her phone and rubbed her face. Lord, she needed a vacation. And maybe a drink or three.

Sho considered himself to be a good planner.

Last night at dinner, he had snuck sleeping pills into Shoko's food.

Phase one, complete.

His beautiful manager conked out after a bit. Sho called up his make-up artist.

Phase two, complete.

In the morning, the musician popped into Shoko's room to make sure that yes, she was still asleep, and that no, her alarm was not on. Then he snuck out to see his make-up artist.

Phase three, complete.

Sho look at himself. A strange, straw-like and straw-colored wig was affixed to his head, dropping down to the tops of his shoulders. He had on rectangular glasses with thick black rims, which were ugly by the way, Ms. Make-Up Artist. He had a black T-shirt on, along ill-fitting jeans that ended too short and revealed long crew socks and unfashionable sneakers.

Uck. Not to mention the acne that she had fashioned onto his flawless face.

The star-struck woman looked at the nerdy, somewhat feminine looking Fuwa Sho with adoration.

He rolled his eyes.

Phase four, complete.

Now, off to the arcade.

He felt like an idiot for skipping work, but hey, a guy needs a break from time to time.

Even if the distance between "time to time" was very short for him.

But subconsciously, Sho thought that maybe, just maybe, by some twist of fate, Kyoko might be there. Like old times.

Cheering him on, and cheering him up with a toy. She was always so good with those damn crane games.

He shook his head to clear those disgusting thoughts. Ew. He wasn't going to the arcade, disguised as some gross arcade geek just for her. Definitely not.

Sho wandered into the first floor of the arcade. He spotted the photo booth and was abruptly assaulted with memories of Kyoko whining to him about taking pictures _together._

And by together, she meant clinging off him while he scowled at the camera.

He shook his head with a wry smile. _Looks like those days were over._

He bought a fistful of tokens and slid into the booth. He forgot how silly he looked, disguised as some tall, gangly dork. He made faces and frowned at himself. _Snap. Snap._

He made piggy faces. _Snap?_

Sho caught a reflection of himself in the lens. Oh, _gross_. _I'm getting the fuck out. _

He hastily ripped out the pictures, but one picture slid across the floor to the glass door of the front entrance. With his heart thundering in his ears, the idol ran to grab the photo before someone could find it, and maybe recognize him.

Too late.

A pair of cowgirl boots stepped on the picture. His eyes moved up in horrified slow-motion. _Please don't be a hot chick, please don't be a hot chick, please don't be a hot chick-oh, shit, those legs! _

Those legs led up to a short purple sweater dress, worn by a disturbingly familiar petite body, attached to a disturbingly familiar head of orange.

Kyoko looked down at the picture, scrunched up her face and looked up at him. Sho was glued to the spot.

_She's going to recognize me. _

"Um, is this yours?" Kyoko held it out to him.

_She didn't recognize me?_

Sho grunted and snatched the picture from her hand. He fled out the front door and ran up the stairs of the arcade. Second floor, third floor, fourth floor - he didn't care! As long as he could erase that odd look she gave at his picture. And why, oh why did she actually show up at the arcade?

"It was wishful thinking, damn it!"

He managed to startle fellow arcade goers, but he didn't care. His pride was smarting. He needed to kick some nerd ass.

That's why he was there, wasn't he?

Beast was cuddled in Kyoko's arms. She beamed up at the glowing face of the man strutting by her side. "I knew Tsuruga-san could do anything,"

"Well, thank you for the flattery, but-"

"Ooh, let's go upstairs,"

_Please, for the love of God, stop with the double meanings._ Ren cringed internally.

"It gets harder as you go up the floors, right?" He said instead.

She nodded. "But I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle," Kyoko winked, and dare he say it, _flirtatiously_?

He looked away, pink in the face.

They went up to the second floor. Their attention went to a large group gathering around Dance Dance Revolution. The two went over to see what was causing such a commotion.

A tall man with long hair and acne was hopping like a toad on steroids.

He whooped loudly with an all-too familiar smirk on his face when his opponent lost.

"So which one of you losers want to get destroyed next?" A Fuwa Sho-like voice cockily asked.

"Sho," Kyoko growled.

His eyes fell on his ex-best friend with a startled look in them.

"Kyoko,"

The crowd separated like Kyoko was Moses. Then Ren stepped up beside her.

Sho's eyes widened, and then he was seeing red. "What the hell are you doing with him?" He barked with disdain, jumping off the platform.

He towered over the bleach-haired teenager.

Her face went dark with anger, as it usually did in Fuwa's presence. Ren sighed.

The beautiful actor stood between the two. "Look, Fuwa-san. We just came together to have some fun," Ren didn't miss the flicker of rage on the blonde idiot's face. "So let's enjoy ourselves,"

"Gladly," He gritted out. "I challenge you to a game of Dance Dance Revolution,"

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that game. I don't find it flattering to leap on blinking arrows,"

"Keh!" Sho stuck his finger in Ren's face. "You're just scared that I'll beat you,"

"Not at all. I don't think it'd be fair if we're not both at the best of our abilities," Ren crossed his arms. "It wouldn't be much fun if you didn't have to work to beat me, would it, Fuwa-san?"

"Actually, I just want to see you lose," Sho muttered. "But fine. I get to pick a game and you can't refuse,"

"Of course," Ren smiled politely. Kyoko's grudges were distracted from planning an all-out war against Sho when poisonous glitter drew them to Ren's warning smile.

"Tsuruga-san," Kyoko tugged at his jacket sleeve, eyebrows brought together by worry.

"Do you doubt my abilities, Mogami-san?" Gentleman smile, level four.

"N-Not at all! It's just...no matter how much I hate that Sho," At the mention of his name, her grudges charged forward. "He's really good at these games,"

"Yeah, _Tsuruga-sempai_, I'm a beast at everything I do," Sho's nose grew to rival Pinocchio's at his self-promotion.

Kyoko raged and pointed her finger at his glowing face. "No way! I take back what I say. You might be good at playing arcade games from practice, but Tsuruga-san can do anything! Hell, he mastered Chopin in less than a week - with no experience with pianos! I'm ready to believe that he can bring the dead back to life. Tsuruga-san is a genius!"

"Well, about the dead thing, I'm not too confident I can -"

"Feh! Don't make him sound like some sort of god!" Sho's pride faltered at all her praise, while Ren smiled adoringly down at her with eyes of a lovesick puppy. After meeting eyes, that smile turned into a full-fledged smirk.

"Thanks to Mogami-san's support," Ren nonchalantly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. "I think I can beat you at anything,"

"You're on!" The blonde musician's nostrils flared like the ones of an angry bull. He was seeing red more from the closeness of his childhood companion and his rival.

Damn that long-legged freak!

Sho pointed at the direction at a game called "Furlong". Two mechanical ponies were stationed in front of screen with derby tracks.

Ren smile wryly. He imagined a scenario of him and Fuwa in cowboy get-ups, circling each other in front of a saloon in the old West. There would be an ominous whistle of wind, then a couple of tumbleweed somersaulting between the two.

Ren would pull down the bandana from his mouth and glare at the blonde bastard and say, "There's only room for one cowboy in Kyoko's heart."

Choking down a snort, he looked at said girl and saw her eyes gazing up at him with determination. "You can beat him, Tsuruga-san. I know you can,"

She pumped her fists. He imagined her atop of a pony, in a frilly and revealing black dress with glittery black feathers in her hair, with a fan covering her mouth and nose, looking between him and Fuwa.

For her sake and for the sake of his pride, he'd kick Fuwa's ass.

"You're winning, Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko crowed, hopping up and down at his side. A crowd of teenagers had gathered to watch Tsuruga Ren battle some weird kid on mechanical ponies.

Ren was grinning like a fool. Not only did he have the girl he loved cheering him on, but he was beating Fuwa. She really was his good-luck charm.

A roar of cheers erupted from the crowd and Kyoko when Ren rode his mechanical pony to the finish line before Sho.

The men got off the ponies, one growling like a rabid cat and the other smiling at the jumpy girl congratulating him with hug around his waist.

"That girl's cute."

"I didn't think Tsuruga Ren was a gamer. He's a pretty cool guy, huh?"

"He's fucking awesome! He whooped that kid."

"Tsuruga Ren!"

"Hey, isn't that girl Kyoko? She plays Mio and Natsu,"

"Oh, she looked familiar. Are those two dating?"

"They suit each other. They seem pretty cozy together."

Sho, meanwhile, was trembling with anger and humiliation.

"Again! I demand another round - another game! This pony has a glitch," Sho, ever the sore loser, glared at the giant who had _his _girl in his arms.

"Fine. I pick," Ren spun around and locked on a game called, "Taiko no Tatsujin". "That one,"

There were drums set up, with an orange cartoon drum with a cat-like smile and shiny black eyes. Ren thought it was like the drum version of Guitar Hero.

"Ha! Are you really challenging a musician to that game? Might want to reconsider," Sho leered. His smile broadened when Kyoko looked worried again.

"Might want to reconsider your career choice, Fuwa-san, after I beat you," Ren replied airily.

Sho growled. His blood vessels stuck out of his forehead and pulsed angrily.

Kyoko snorted, but Sho really was a good musician.

A reassuring smile from Ren told her not to worry.

So she decided not to. A scheming grin made its way to her face. _Tsuruga-san and I will win regardless of what happens. _Her grudges giggled.

The star-struck crowd followed closely behind the actor and the Dance Dance Revolution prodigy. Kyoko walked behind Sho. The photograph of him in the photo booth making a piggy face was peering out from the back pocket of his jeans.

Lithe fingers swiped the photo. Kyoko put her hand to her mouth to smother a cackle. He looked so _stupid_. That Shotaro.

She shook her head, smiling to herself without noticing. She stuck the photo in her bra with suspicious looks on either side of her. No one saw that, right?

Acquired blackmail if Ren lost? Check.

Ren lost gracefully, as he did with everything. Lots of grace and gentleman smiles all around. Kyoko smirked at Sho. 

_ You think you won, Shotaro?_

"Told you not to doubt my talent, but I guess your ego was in the way! HAHA!" Sho whooped and danced like a fool.

A tick formed in Ren's brow.

"Psst," Kyoko bumped her hip to Ren's.

He looked down at her in surprise.

She nodded her head over her shoulder. The hand behind her back held the picture of Sho. Ren's lips quivered.

He snorted.

Sho caught it and shot him a glare. "What's so funny?"

Ren waved his hand as if to say it was nothing.

The shit-eating grin on Kyoko's face said otherwise.

"Wh-"

"Remember this, Shotaro?" She said with a demonic voice.

_That sneaky bit-_

"What do you want?" Sho flushed pink across his nose.

"Stop gloating about beating Tsuruga-san in an arcade game,"

"That picture doesn't look like me,"

"Magazines will eat up anything. And I'm sure a little Photo-Shopping would be in order. Besides, what's your alibi? Hmm?" She leaned into his face with glee. "I bet you slipped Shoko-san sleeping pills and sneaked out, right? You're so transparent,"

"Shut up!"

"What a dope," Ren muttered.

"Seriously,"

"How about this, Fuwa-san," Ren put his hands up in an "I come in peace" sort of way. "How about we all have some ice-cream, hm? Ice for the bruises on your ego?"

"Don't patronize me, damn it!" Sho howled, and alternated glares from Kyoko to the two-bit actor.

* * *

><p><strong>Talk about late. Like a pregnant woman's period. <strong>

** (Oh, Pony. You slowpoke. Two months is enough time to start developing a bump.) **

** (Sorry). **

** I sort of got distracted by Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2 for a while. Also, finals and regents are coming up, so I've been studying and stuff. **

** But worry not, young maidens. I will finish this story if it's the last thing I do (sadly, it probably will be the last thing I do). **

** I'm working on another Skip Beat story and a non-fanfiction too. **

** And now, for the thank you portion: **

**Emf6: **Wah. I still have your interest? :D And you have to applaud Ren for the brilliant excuses he makes up for all the lovey-dovey things he does to/for Kyoko.

**alitablack:** Oh, Kyoko. Ren's been practicing self-control for a while, so I figured, why not hold out on a voluntary kiss from her side and treasure it forever? Ren's a sneaky boy.

**Princess Ren: **I've just discovered how much fun writing fluff is. I like Emperor/Sex Kitten banter too.

**Shiroyuki76: **I lol'd at the 'hickey revenge' bit. Thank you :D

**daemonkieran: **I'm assuming you're amused. Thanks.

**Kariramous:** A fan from Argentina :D I'm flattered that you use translator to read my writing. I love you for reading! Hope you liked this update.

**Piacine-Jadeymay: **Bwaha. I loved the picture bit too. And thank you for not losing interest.

**halfdemonfan: **You're so good at picking up all that detail, dang. A replay of the night before - nice way to put it, lol.

**Voidy: **Your flattery does wonders for my ego! Gah, thank you, thank you.

**flai: **wow. THE most exciting? :D

**Umm me: **Very true. I tend to go astray with the characters, so I apologize for the OOC sometimes *sheepish* I will work on that!

**clarageo: **I'm sorry the update wasn't soon, but enjoy this late chapter. (9 pages of fluff and sexual tension. Not bad, I hope?)

**Inveigler: **And that's what fanfics are for. Glad I can give you a Skip Beat fix while we all wait (impatiently) for the manga updates.

**swt cutie: **AW! I love you. A lot.

**pielovingchick: **Sorry, I lied. No Kanae and Reino in this chapter, but in the future, I'm coming back with more of their fluff.

**NiKKi: **I hope you're feeling better now. My friend had a flipped disk and she was in agony :( I'm happy to have been able to cheer you up while you were going through that :)

**ElheiM**: I squirm and "kya!" when I read your reviews. So nice to me :') I like them as a real couple.

**Interficere: **Reino and Kanae in the next update for sure. I'm out my funk, so more updates coming soon.

**Lilo: **I like the idea of Reino and Kanae acting as foils with Ren and Kyoko (they even have the same initials! R/K and R/K). Whoa. Mind. Blown.

**sakuraShuurei: **oooh, intimate scenes. In the near future. This is m-rated, after all. *wink wink*

**ralucutza: **All those reviews were fun to read, so thank you, new reviewer.

**Laura-Ella**: Dates in arcades = fun. Had to put them in one. hehe.

**Asoka: **Thank you. I hope my writing will get better.

**Kylee-Cat: **Ah, praise. Thank you :D


	12. MakingUp and Feeling Up

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Skip Beat.

"Strawberry, please," Kyoko ordered sweetly. The cashier, a teenage boy, blushed at the cute girl.

Both Ren and Sho stared him down with equally Satanic stares.

"I want vanilla," Sho crossed his arms, a pouty, childish look on his pinched face.

"Same," Ren said flippantly. He didn't particularly care for sweets, and neither did Sho.

"You two are suck picky eaters," The orange-headed girl shook her head.

Both men "hmph"ed.

Kyoko chuckled.

_So childish. _

The mismatched trio found a table away from the glass walls of the ice cream parlor.

Sho was still scowling, but the ice cream was doing its magic and turning him back into a civilized human being.

"So," he began while licking his blue spoon. "Don't you two have work or something?"

"Don't you?" Kyoko countered, chewing on a chunk of strawberry.

"Touché," He shrugged, his eyes challenging Ren's. "I didn't think Japan's number one man-" He began with contempt, but couldn't finish.

"We still have the picture, Shotaro,"

"Fine," Sho slumped.

There was an awkward silence.

"Um," Sho cleared his voice. Kyoko looked up at him. This was tolerance. Tolerance. "Don't you ever, like, miss me?"

Ren's fingers tightened around his spoon.

Kyoko gaped, looking at the fidgeting singer with disbelief.

"I don't mean to say it in the way you think I'm saying it," He said waspishly. "I mean, don't you miss hanging out?"

Kyoko's rage deflated as she pondered his question. Strange. She'd been thinking the same thing earlier.

About missing her best friend.

"_Best friend? Have you forgotten about Moko-san?" A Grudge said in horror. "You're not considering..._forgiving_ him, are you?" _

_ "He's pretty cute, but a douchebag. They all are," Sex Kitten sighed and continued filing her nails. _

_ "Well, Shotaro did save you from Beagle. Besides, Moko-san would never dance like a fool in public and grin cutely at you like she found the cure for cancer like he does when he wins," _

_ "He broke your heart, stole your first kiss, ruined you future as a normal high school student-" The Grudges groaned. They had accumulated in a dark shroud in Kyoko's mind, circling Angel Kyoko, who twiddled her thumbs. _

_ "But we like not having a normal life, don't we? Well, in a way," The Angel squirmed. "Thanks to Shotaro, you're here, doing something you love, with people you love. And not to mention, you would have never met Tsuruga-san nor would you know him so intimately if you'd never been heartbroken by Sho. Things happen for a reason. Maybe it was fate." _

_ ..._

_ The Grudges were silenced. _

"Mogami-san?" Ren nudged her gently for the fourth time.

"S'okay. She spaces out all the time," Sho flicked her forehead.

"Ow!"

"Wake up, space cadet. I asked you a question,"

Ren wanted the Demon Lord to gut this kid like a fish for even asking, but that difficult emotion on Kyoko's face was making him scared.

Was she _actually_ considering it?

"Shotaro...you've hurt me a lot. You brought me to Tokyo - voluntarily," She tacked on impatiently when she saw he was about to interrupt and correct her about bringing her against her will. "I missed high school. I worked a million different odd jobs to support your place. I took care of you and the apartment but didn't care for myself. I made you happy because it made me happy," She grimaced at Ren's face. It was awkward for her to say these things in front of him...especially with the strained faces he was making.

Ren's fists were clenching and unclenching on his lap, jaw set. He did not like her reliving these precious moments with Fuwa, living together and making the punk _happy._

"You were always selfish and self-centered," Ren's lips curved into a smile, but it fell when she continued with, "but that's just how you are. But you took it too far with making me your maid without considering how _I _was affected. How _I_ felt. So I took revenge. I wanted to make you see what you were missing out on. That I wasn't just your childhood friend, your maid. I wanted to be talented and beautiful and worthy of your time,"

_He'll never be worthy of your time, _Ren thought lividly. 

Sho had his eyes fixed on his ice-cream, each word cutting him.

"But all the pain you put me through benefitted me. All the bad things that have happened to me in the past have helped me become stronger person in the future. My mother was never proud of me, so now I strive to do things to the best of my abilities. Living with your family in the inn and helping out made me patient and tolerant of virtually anything. It's made me resilient and made my pain tolerance pretty high. It's helped me out with acting, too," She thought back to the incident with replacing Ruriko as the ojou-sama, and being able to work with Ren. And then realizing she wanted to really act on her own rather than have him coax her into responding. "I'm good with food, thanks to your family. I'm not a selfish person because you never allowed that to happen. Your competitiveness rubbed off on me," Kyoko swallowed a bite of ice cream. "After all, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger,"

Ren's anger started to ebb away when she mentioned her mother. He bit his lip at the list of hardships, thinking of his own.

_In a strange way, we're pretty similar. _

"I think," Kyoko continued. "You've realized that I've become a stronger and better person now. That's why you still think of me as a possession, your little lingering companion. You want to be in my heart,"

Sho flinched at that. She was right on the mark.

"I can't be like that again. I can't be that love-struck girl who will do anything for you even if you weren't doing anything for me. And I'm pretty sure you don't want that girl back," She took a deep breath. "Shotaro, I'm considering forgiving you, because...I sometimes...miss you. As a friend," She added quickly after noticing Ren looking like he was about to gouge Sho's eyes out with his plastic spoon. "When we bicker with each other when we bump into each other…I miss that,

"You were never a good friend to me, but was I? I didn't value your friendship, Sho, because I was too busy trying to win your love," She gagged a bit here. "-rather than be your friend. It's sort of easy to see how a fangirl would turn into a maid under a person like you," Sho harrumphed at this. Kyoko rolled her eyes.

"Do you want to be friends?" The singer asked slowly.

"I..." She looked at him timidly. "I thought that I would hate you for as long as I lived. And maybe in the afterlife as well. But it's not healthy to have so much hate and to occupy my mind with hating you. I am an actor because I love acting, not because I want revenge. I don't want anyone to misunderstand that. Also…perhaps I'm considering opening my heart up again."

She swallowed under Ren's fierce stare.

_She better not think of "opening her heart" to him again. _

"I will only open my heart to you in friendship, Shotaro. We've been through a lot. So yes, I think I can forgive you. I would like to be friends,"

_If not to him...do not raise my hopes just to crush them, Kyoko. _

The pop idol looked up. Her eyes were blazing. There was a little smile in her eyes, a hopeful one. Shock was very obvious on his face.

"I can do that," He said finally, each of her words soaking in and making sense. "If you can forgive me, I'd like to be friends again,"

Sho stared firmly into her amber eyes with the same determination to make their new friendship work. "We're on the same page. I...don't want that Kyoko. I want to know this girl who's been hiding from me for sixteen years,"

"Good," Kyoko smiled pleasantly, making both men a lovely shade of Love Me-jumpsuit pink. "But remember, Shotaro. Do not abuse my friendship,"

"I won't," He said with a grin. The heavy feelings in his heart disappeared. A light, happy feeling of hope replaced it.

"You do not own me in the relationship. It's reciprocal,"

"I know, I know," Sho's face was considerably brighter. Then he lowered his head and said, "Thanks,"

Both actors looked at the narcissistic teenager in shock. He had said thanks in a humble, sincere tone. One tone that neither Kyoko nor Ren thought they would ever hear in their lifetime.

"Mogami-san," Ren spoke up. He caught her eye. "Are you sure you want to be his... friend?"

"She can be friends with whoever she wants to," Sho said irritably. "Don't mess this up for me," He warned him, and pointed emphatically with his spoon.

Ren tried. He really tried to keep that gentleman smile off his face, but he failed.

"Why would I do that? It's not my business who Mogami-san reconciles with,"

_Why is he angry? _Kyoko tensed, though her little demons were swooning, little ghoulish hands aching to snuggle with that demonic aura surrounding the tall actor.

"Well, we'll be going now. Tsuruga-san will drop me off-"

"I can do that," Sho volunteered, but Ren beat him to it.

"It's fine, Fuwa-san,"

Kyoko and Ren stood. Kyoko waved her _friend _goodbye and smiled hesitantly.

Sho was feeling a little pissed at not getting to drive her home, but whatever. They were friends again, so he'd get plenty of opportunities to do so. That brought a happy smile to his face.

"Reino-sama is so beautiful." A girl sighed to her friend, who nodded and clasped her hands together.

_Sama? Mo, this guy... _Kotonami Kanae thought irritably. She dreamt of the day _she _would be addressed as Kanae-sama. She smirked.

The dark-haired beauty threaded along the streets of Tokyo, idly heading to LME for an appointment with the odd president of said agency.

Kanae grunted at the thought of having to deal with him._ At least there's no Love Me work to do today_, she thought.

She frowned, wondering what her best friend was up to. Kanae hoped the little lusty imp hadn't caused _too _much trouble with those poisoned chocolates. Troubling Tsuruga Ren, however, was acceptable, she mused with evil amusement.

Her thoughts wandered to a certain handsome Vie Ghoul vocalist. "Mo! Why am I thinking about that creep? I'm lucky to have escaped him," She muttered, "Who knows? I might have woken up in his apartment with my head shaved and my organs missing,"

_He has a very nice, sharp jaw line, and a straight nose-_

Shut. Up. Kanae grounded her teeth at the ridiculous things spouting from her mind.

_ Tall, too. That little mole on his cheek is cute-_

Kanae calmly walked towards the side of a brick building and pounded her head on it.

She knew she was getting weird looks, but hell, that pink jumpsuit made her immune to shame.

"Oh, look at the cover of Paranormal Boy! Kya! It's Reino-sama!"

"And that girl is really pretty. Her skin is flawless, isn't it?"

"She was on a commercial before,"

"Her hair's so long and so shiny..."

"What I wouldn't do for a figure like hers!"

"I didn't think Reino-sama could get any more beautiful, but as vampire - I think I'm going to nosebleed." The female voice giggled.

Kanae's eyes sought the squealing girls at the newsstand, a crease in her forehead.

_The magazine? But...that issue was supposed to be published for next month, wasn't it? _

Walking closer, she noticed that it was indeed her and Reino on the cover. Boys were starting to pluck the magazines up and flip through it, zooming in on the pictures with Kanae dressed in that skimpy leather get-up.

"Damn!" The boy flipped another page. "Damn!"

"Shit, I wish my girlfriend looked like this chick,"

"Her legs-"

"Nice rack, too,"

Teenage boys ogled the picture with Kanae straddling Reino.

A boy hooted. "Wish I was that guy,"

The girls sighed dreamily at Reino biting Kanae's neck. "I wish I was her,"

Kanae's face was hot enough to fry an egg on it.

With shaky fingers, she took a magazine. Her face grew hotter. _Dear Lord, forgive me, for I have sinned. _

"OMG, that's you, isn't it?" A teenage girl pointed a finger in Kanae's face, only a breath away from her nose. She backed away from it with bewilderment.

"Kotonami Kanae!"

"Wah, she's here?"

"She's hot in real life, too!"

"Can we have an autograph?"

"Are you dating Reino-sama?"

Kanae backed away from the mob of angry or eager teens, with her hands held up.

"W-Wait just a min-"

"How do you manage your hair?"

"Can I touch you?"

"Ooh, what perfume are you wearing?"

"That lip color suits you."

"I wonder if she and Reino-sama are an item."

"I don't think I'd mind them at all as a couple. They look real good together, ne?"

"Don't you dare take Reino-sama off the market!"

"Kanae-sama!"

"What. The. Hell," Kanae gasped, stepping back. But the mob reared forward, almost stampeding towards her.

A scream prepared itself in her throat, but a tall figure stood in front of her, and literally spirited her away.

"IT'S REI-"

_Poof. _

The mob of teenagers blinked at the spot where the two celebrities had been. Slowly, they backed away with a magazine in hand.

"Can't take my off of you for a second,"

"How-wh-why-"

"I...how you say, _spirited _you away to LME. Ha, I crack myself up,"

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?" Kanae yelled, pointing a finger at his chest. He looked down at it. "I abandoned you at the shoot, so don't you dare follow me around like some lost puppy,"

Reino gave her a puppy face. "But _Moko-saan~_"

"Don't imitate her!"

He straightened and placed a hand on the small of her back. Kanae stiffened and made to move away, but he pulled her and had her pressed against him once again. Why was this becoming a comfortable position?

"Why did you leave without saying goodbye, hm? I was lonely," He purred into her ear.

"You-! Do you know where we a-AH!" He bit her ear, grinning into her cheek.

Then he abruptly pulled away.

Kanae patted her cheeks, fighting that moronic blush that came to her face when this freak touched her.

"MOKO-SAN~!"

_So that's why he pulled away. _

_Mo, Kanae, don't sound so disappointed. _

"STO-" For the second time that day, Kotonami Kanae was mobbed. Kyoko glomped the actress within an inch of her life.

"I MISSED YOU SO MUCH,"

"Really? I couldn't tell," The brunette wheezed as she tried to lift Kyoko's iron arm off of her shoulder.

Gold eyes fell on the dark figure behind Kanae.

"NO!" Kyoko shoved Kanae behind her protectively, the latter startled at the force the petite girl had in her. "Beagle, stay away from Moko-san," She said fiercely.

"Beagle?" Kanae mumbled.

Reino eyed the little dark doppelgangers that popped up whenever either he or Fuwa showed up. He nonchalantly grabbed Kyoko's wrist.

"Oi, what do you think-" Kanae's indignant cries were muffled by the images of Kyoko in inappropriate clothes, several images of Tsuruga Ren's pained face, images of her straddling Tsuruga Ren onto the floor and kissing him, images of her spilling water down her top and eliciting the sleeping lion's rage, and of her in his bathtub in her _underwear, _feverishly making out with a shirtless Tsuruga Ren.

And Reino laughed. In fact, he guffawed, loud and clear, tears of mirth teeming in his eyes. Oh man, was he cruel! Ha! To seduce that vicious man and give him a taste of something he couldn't have - what perfect punishment.

He clutched his stomach, his body almost folding in half.

Kyoko and Kanae looked at the strange man, and then looked at each other with looks of uncertainty.

He dropped Kyoko's wrist.

"Kanae, I am a genius," Reino snapped back to usual apathy.

"Eh? Moko-san?" Kyoko turned big amber eyes at her best friend. "What do you have to do with him?"

"Uh...oh, that's right. I was assigned as his temporary manager," Kanae quickly added, "As a Love Me assignment,"

Kyoko "aww"ed and patted her best friend's shoulder. "I am so sorry for you, Moko-san. You have my condolences,"

_...No one's dying_.Reino thought dryly.

"What are you doing?" Kanae asked her tiredly.

"Me? Oh, I just finished some Love Me work. I'm going to-" _go shopping with Shotaro. I can't just say that so easily! Moko-san still thinks I hate him. I'm going to have to tell her-_

"Come," Reino had his hand extended towards Moko-san. He even sent her a "Come hither" look when she looked offended.

Kanae bristled. "MO! Don't beckon me like a dog,"

"We need to talk about my schedule, temporary manager," Reino smirked.

She crossed her arms and sulked.

"Wait, Moko-san! I have to speak with you as we-"

But Reino and Moko-san were already gone.

"So what do you need to tell me?" Kanae crossed her arms, radiating attitude.

Reino smiled. "My lust-potioned chocolates have Tsuruga Ren in a pickle,"

"..."

"I believe that's an American phrase. But let's just say those two have gotten intimate, but not enough to make that man happy. In fact, it's making him downright miserable,"

"That makes you happy? You must be sick in the head,"

"Must be, since you're in it all day,"

"Don't flirt with me," She snapped. "I've been meaning to ask you - how did you manage to make Kyoko think I gave her those chocolates?"

"I had them prepared with your name signed on it,"

Kanae frowned.

The tall vocalist leaned down to her height and crooned, "Aw, is _Moko-san_ sad that she couldn't give her best friend in the whole wide world chocolates? Hm?"

The dark-haired actress put a hand on his cheek and tried to push his face away from hers, but he moved his head so his lips were pressed on her hand.

She jumped and ripped her hand away like she'd been shocked. With all the tingles he gave her, thought, she had been.

Kanae distracted him with another question. Or rather, she demanded, "What kind of intimate things?"

"Hm?" Reino lifted himself back up to his normal height. "Oh, Tsuruga almost got lucky in his bathtub,"

"WHAT?"

"Mo, don't shout," He mimicked in a high-pitched voice.

She stood on her tiptoes and grabbed the collar of his sweeping black trench coat. With a lethally quiet voice, she asked, "What the hell did he do to her?"

Reino's eyes darted to her lips, but he figured that now would be a bad time to get lucky with _her_. He looked away and sweat-dropped. "Well..."

* * *

><p>"What restaurant? Tell me! I'm going to drown that waiter's head in sulfur - how dare he look down her dress!"<p>

...

"Whiskey? WHISKEY? For the love of all that is pure and holy, she's a minor - ugh! This guy...I wouldn't be surprised if he lent AVs to infants. Is nothing sacred? Mo!"

...

"You're shaking," Reino observed with his hand on her hip. She had become unresponsive after he told all the graphic details of Ren and Kyoko almost doing the dirty in the actor's bathroom.

So Reino took this chance to grope her. His hand ambled up her shirt to her waist and he squeezed experimentally. Goosebumps bloomed on her skin.

_Hm. Sensitive. _

"Tsuruga Ren..."

With all the teeth-gnashing and fist-clenching the actress was doing, Reino didn't feel the need to ask her what was on her mind. Though he did stop touching her when images of the man in question made even Reino pray that the woman never crossed paths with him.

He casually guided her back to a wall and felt her up enough to make a Japanese train-groper blush and to make her direct her rage at him.

"Stop touching me," She growled venomously.

He pecked her on the cheek.

Now her mind was totally blank. Reino mentally pat himself on the back.

Kanae sagged and massaged her temples. "I have to go to the president. I have work to do, so shoo,"

"Nope. As my temporary manager, you'll be with me at all times,

"Do you know what _temporary _means?"

A slight frown wilted his grin, but it was restored when he thought of a plan.

"I'll escort you there,"

"Absolutely not,"

"Too bad."

She was annoyed to discover that having his hand on her waist didn't bother her as much as it should have.

Rather, she didn't mind having his hands all over her. And neither did he.

Such a touchy-feely boy. She allowed herself a little smile.

His lips twitched up as well.

* * *

><p>A certain bespectacled manager was fairly close to death after eavesdropping on a conversation between Kotonami Kanae and a Visual Kei artist.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AVs are Adult Videos. Equivalent to porn. <strong>

**Kanae and Reino return (Kya!) As do the peanut gallery of teenage brats. **

**I'm sorry if the reconciliation between Kyoko and Sho sucked, but I'm ready to forgive him.**

**What can I say, he's grown on me. Like fungus. And it's not healthy for anyone to be so hateful. It gives you wrinkles and premature death. **

Thank-You-To-My-Reviewers-Portion**(by the way, do my silent readers read these? Because I don't read the reviewer-responses in other stories since I never review unless I really like a story. Annoying when they're put at the beginning because I get excited thinking it's a long chapter when it's like two words of writing. Though putting them at the bottom has the same effect...hm. Also, doesn't Ren look like a Seme?) **

daemonkieran: Poor Ren and his happiness. I hope that he gets his happy ending (lol I'm lame) with Kyoko somehow.

Swt Cutie: homg, I suck at crane games too. My brother can clear out a box of those stuffed animals in one go, but damn those stuffed bastards for escaping me :(

Kylee-Cat: Sho needs his pride to be controlled by Ren.

Princess Ren: Aw, shucks. I'm happy to make you lol with my attempts at humor. :)

Rui: I'd love it if Shoko actually got Sho to get up by promising to shower with him. I think it's fair that they're tied. And an ice-cream battle...you're giving me ideas. Naughty ideas.

clarageo: Non-fanfic stuff is going to be posted on Fiction Press, which I'm guessing is like a sister-site to . I already have an account, but my stories sort of all suck. I'm so bad at committing myself to writing one thing, so I'm trying to build a habit of actually finishing a story. I'm a lazy perfectionist, so I stop writing something once I feel like it's terrible (a writer's harshest critic is him or herself _;) I can give you a link to my account when I end up posting my story on Fiction Press. :)

skipbeataddict: Happy to hear that :D I will write to the best of my abilities.

PeanutButterBirthmark: I like your name because I like birthmarks. Got one on my middle finger (uh-oh). I have a thing for childish boys. lol. I think it's cute, but Sho is _such_ a baby. And squirm he will...next chapter, I swear.

halfdemonfan: I love it when people laugh because of me because it makes me happy - it's like sharing happy hormones :D Sho fits right in an arcade setting, don't he? Ren...might have strayed a bit there, hehe.

Darkbloodz: Laughing is great for the soul :) Thank you for telling me that you were reading this and laughing in a public place xD That made my day.

ILOVEASHURA: I adore Skip Beat and now I adore you for loving this.


	13. Man the Fuck Up

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! **

"Kotonami-san?" Takarada Lory arched a groomed brow at the bowing actress before him.

He uncrossed his black-leather-clad legs in his enormous, I'm-the-boss, rolling chair and folded his hands on his desk like a good little boy.

Kanae hesitantly ran her eyes over the President's newest theme; Goth.

"Ah. So you've noticed the new theme," Lory lit up a cigar with a smirk, and motioned to the fish-net top that showed peeks of his well-kept body - a body that scoffed at age and continued to look just as fine as when Lory was a young man. He would argue that he was practically an infant in spirit, but that was an entirely different story all together.

"I was inspired by a certain magazine. Ever heard of _Paranormal Boy_?"

"I might've," She humored him dryly.

He nibbled on the cigar. His elbow was on the table, which gave her a view of a mock tattoos, spiked bracelets, and artful rings decorating his arms and hands. "It's nice to meet you in person, Reino-san,"

Reino was standing by Kanae's chair, with his hand curled at the place where her neck rested on the chair. Long, clawed fingers tangled in her long dark hair and tickled the back of her neck.

She huffed like an angry bull.

"He invited himself," Kanae explained defensively.

Lory lowered the cigar and smiled a mischievous smile. "That's fine. I was meaning to speak to you two anyway,"

"About?"

"I'm sure you've noticed that this issue was supposed to be published next month. It turns out that Chigusa Kayako - your photographer- see, her supervisor saw the pictures and demanded to have your pictures published for this month instead of next month. Her supervisor switched this month's issue with next month's so you two were on the cover first,

"I'm glad that you're getting your face out there, Kotonami-san. But let me ask you this - are you interested in being an actor or a model?"

"An actor, obviously,"

"You have debuted as a model," Lory blew smoke rings. Kanae's brows furrowed.

"So?" Dread crept in her veins as she feared that she was catching on to what Lory was saying.

"So now Kotonami Kanae is being bombarded with modeling offers - you too, Reino-kun. This spread was received very positively by the public. However, this is putting your career as an actor in jeopardy. The public knows you as Kotonami Kanae the model, not the actress. You know how annoyed people get when models try acting. Most people agree that models shouldn't act if it's for the purpose of adding another skill to their résumé. Most people immediately think models who act are poor actors, even if a small percentage of them are actually good at it,"

Lory inhaled, and looked at her. Her face had since gone pale, and Reino was looking down at her with his fingers in her hair. The love-obsessed Lory swore he saw a stitch of worry in Reino's brow.

"Kotonami-san, if you accept all of these modeling jobs, you will be a model in the eye of the public, not an actress. People will be offended if you do end up getting acting jobs because you're a model. It isn't so offensive when an actor models, because they're established as an actor who is an actor because he or she is talented. But when you have someone good-looking getting acting jobs for being good-looking and not talented...well, I didn't think you'd be pleased by that,"

Lory watched her become increasingly unresponsive with darkly line eyes. Reino's hand rested on her shoulder firmly.

"Reino-san doesn't have to worry about it, though. He's established in the music industry and he's done many modeling jobs after, including this one,"

Reino agreed with a quick nod.

"What should I do, then?" She quietly asked after a tense pause. The color was completely drained from her face.

"Well, consider this," Lory cleared his throat and tapped the cigar ashes onto a ornate tray. "If you accept the modeling offers - by the way, Sawara-san is up to his eyeballs in them - then you are establishing a place for yourself in show business. As of now, you're not very well-known as an actress. If you do accept them, you've decided to head towards modeling. If you pursue acting - well, you'll really have to do the best you possibly can to convince the public that you are the extremely talented actress I know you are. Or, you can reject the modeling offers. Among modeling jobs, there are acting jobs. You can take those and work slowly up from that. So instant fame as a model turned actress or slow success as an actor thanks to a modeling stint?"

"The latter. I refuse to do modeling until I am established as a respected actress,"

Lory blinked at the sharp tone. The fire was back in Kotonami Kanae's eyes.

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely,"

The President of LME smiled then. "Good. Now go down to Sawara-san and filter through for those acting jobs. I have faith in you, Kotonami-san,"

"Thank you. I'll be taking my leave now." She bowed deeply, and Lory was privileged to see a rare warm smile from LME's resident ice queen.

"Wait,"

Lory and Kanae both froze upon hearing the silent singer speak.

"Takarada-san, I was wondering if Kotonami-san can be my temporary manager for...two weeks? My manager is away in China for a funeral," The gray-haired man slipped Kanae a smug grin.

Lory caught the exchange. His matchmaking radar had been flaring the instant the two walked into his office. He smirked at Reino. "Of course. Consider it a Love Me assignment. Take care of Reino-san, Kotonami-san,"

She was breathing heavily with her face flushed fuchsia. "Takarada-san, this man is not even in the same agency!"

"So? Not everyone you work with in show business will be in LME, will they?" Lory and Reino shared a silent man-to-man exchange. "Go along now, Kotonami-san, Reino-san,"

"Thank you very much, Takarada-san," Reino smiled in a way Kanae was quickly associating with bad things. Very bad things.

"Let's go," She grumbled.

Reino happily followed.

"H-Here,"

"Sawara-san...?" Kanae shot Reino an uncertain look, and then looked back at the unconscious Head of the Talent Division and the Love Me section's manager.

"...is he breathing?"

Reino shrugged.

"Um...I'll be taking these now,"

"..."

"...Thank you."

The two uneasily backed away from Sawara-san, with a human-sized bundle of papers for Kanae.

"You know, Ren. I respect you as an actor and a person, but as of today, I can no longer respect you as a man,"

Ren slumped in his seat like a child in big trouble.

"I'm no fan of Fuwa Sho, but I can at least respect him as a man. He has balls of _IRON_. And it's because of his steel testicles that_ that _man is able to stomp up to Kyoko-chan and steal her first kiss. It's because of your passive 'courtship' that Fuwa is able to walk right up to her and shout at her whenever the mood strikes. It's his _balls, _Ren. He has them. He is a MAN. You, on the other hand - you're such a _good _guy. And Ren, I say this to you because you are my friend, but I am telling you - good guys _always_ finish last. It's a day out shopping now, but in time Kyoko will be Fuwa Kyoko and what will you do about it, huh? I know exactly what you're going to do! You're going to go to her damn wedding, smile painfully, and wish her happiness, because all you _think _you want is her happiness, but men are selfish and I know you want happiness as well, and you want it with her. Why do I bother if you're too much of a girl to actually let her see you as a man? Why do you bother with her? God, I swear! You two are the most annoying people to pair up. My patience is about to snap, so I suggest you man up and stop being such a fucking pansy! Throw her over your shoulder like a caveman and ravage her! Stop giving her flowers and sentimental bullshit, because I promise you, it will get you nowhere."

Ren looked at his manager, slack-jawed and unblinking. Not breathing, either.

Yashiro took a deep breath and gave his charge a searing glare. He opened the car door and slammed it shut.

"Thank you for the ride, and good night," Yashiro said primly and pushed his glasses up. "And for the love of all that is good and holy, stop sulking and wallowing in your self-pity. It's getting old."

Ren had half the mind to check his pants.

"Shopping? With Kyoko? The Kyoko who hates you like the sun rises? The Kyoko who you used as a housekeeper when she was lovesick with you? The Kyoko who swore revenge on you? _The _Kyoko?"

"Yes, Shoko. Mogami Kyoko," Sho rubbed his head irritably. He stuffed his foot into a pair of boots. "We, uh, made up and shit,"

"And you're going shopping," Shoko blinked down at the blonde boy.

"Yes, Shoko," He sneered. "_Shopping. _I hope you haven't gone senile yet. I still want a go with you,"

His manager flat-out ignored the pass/insult and crossed her arms over her ample chest. "I'm sure she didn't ask you to go,"

"I asked,"

"She said no at first? "

Sho nodded. He stepped into his other boot. "I told her we needed to catch up and stuff. Besides, it's not like we've never gone shopping together. We use to go shopping when we lived together,"

"Sho, I don't want you pushing her to do things like you use to. Your relationship is not going to be the same as it was before. Kyoko is a person. You can't treat her like a maid again. If she's mature enough to forgive you for committing such a grievance, then you better not mess this up. Second chances are not to be taken for granted. You have to take this slow and get her trust back,"

"Yeah, I know," Sho snapped impatiently. "She already told me about that,"

"Treat her like a lady, okay? Behave,"

He rolled his eyes at his Mama Hen manager. "I won't mess it up,"

The musician stood and grabbed his wallet. He avoided Shoko's worried stare. Sho sighed.

"Look, I'm not gonna molest her or something. Shit, Shoko, we're just going to the shopping center. No big deal,"

Shoko bit her lip. "You love her, don't you?"

That stopped him. He narrowed his eyes at his manager. "More than a friend?"

She nodded.

He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You know, I've always considered her to be my best friend. But then she changed. She's not the obedient little crybaby I grew up with. She's growing up," Sho scratched his chin. "I wouldn't say she's my type, but I can't say my feelings are completely loyal to being her friend anymore,"

"You like her more than a friend, right? If you want her like that, you know you can't drop sleazy lines and expect them to work, right? Sho," Shoko placed her hands firmly on his shoulders. "If you really love her, you're going to have to build up solid trust and friendship before you can move on to the next step. You have to treat her right,"

"I _know._ You said that a million times already, Shoko," Sho shook off her hands. "I've known her all my life. I know what she likes. It won't be that hard,"

"Take her seriously,"

"I will. You don't need to lecture me,"

"I'm just reminding you-"

"You don't need to do that,"

Shoko's lip curved down as she watched her charge strut out the door. She prayed to Buddha that everything would work out in the end.

Because if it involved those two, Shoko mused grimly, they would need all the prayers in the they could get.

**Wow. A month-ish hiatus and all I could write was a half-assed transitional chapter. **

** I apologize. I lost interest in Skip Beat and got obsessed over other stuff (ahem, Dragon Ball Z). **

** But yeah. Sorry and shit. I'm just very uninspired right now. **

**And if you couldn't tell, Yashiro-san became my mouthpiece for how annoyed I am with Kyoko and Ren. **

**Sho and Kyoko's shopping trip next chapter. **


	14. Kyoko the Bishounen

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! **

"A boy?" Kyoko asked slowly, ominously...threateningly?

"Uh, y-yes. A boy," The make-up artist swallowed nervously. Why did the atmosphere feel so thick and creepy all of a sudden? And why was it becoming so hard to move? "F-Fuwa-san requested you disguise yourself,"

_Fuwa-san. _

The Grudges hissed. _"Shooootarooo..." _

Kyoko pursed her lips.

"H-He said it would be better if you looked like a male friend if Fuwa-san is recognized,"

_Of course he's looking out for himself. I knew he was too quick in trying to "repair" our friendship. I mean, I would be fine with just being acquaintances since being friends with that moron is dangerous, but... _

"Shotaro was the one who wanted to take me shopping," Kyoko muttered, miffed. "He even picked a day where I had no filming or school to go to,"

"Did you say something, Kyoko-san?" Fuwa Sho's make-up artist whipped out an impressive traincase of make-up.

"...-ver we went shopping we only bought things for him. This time I'm making that cheap bastard pay for all of my things," Mumble, mumble, scary grin, mutter, mutter.

"K...Kyoko-san?" She hesitantly tried asking again.

In an instance, the dark look on her face vanished. "Eh?" Kyoko blinked up at the bewildered make-up artist. "Ah, forgive me. Were you saying something?"

_What kind of girl is Fuwa Sho going out with! _

* * *

><p>"Done with the face!" The make-up artist pulled away with an angled brush and beamed. "Come take a look at yourself,"<p>

Kyoko moved her stiff butt out of the chair to take a look at her face in the light-bulb bordered mirror. Narrow, dark eyes stared at her in awe. Kyoko's orange brows were thick and brown, her cheeks were sunken in, and her tiny jaw was widened. She numbly played with the ruffled honey blonde wig on her head. She looked undeniably male. Maybe a little effeminate looking, but boyish nonetheless.

"Now all we need is the clothing," The make-up artist clapped her hands to her hips. She looked deeply into the wardrobe before snatching up a pair of purple skinny jeans and a long, black-sleeved turtleneck. She guided the stunned teenager into a changing room. "I'll be back with a couple more things, okay?"

Kyoko nodded dumbly.

A few minutes and a change of clothes later, the seventeen year-old heard the click-clacking of heels, followed by a white, poofy vest and a pair of socks raining over her head into the changing stall.

When Kyoko stepped out of the stall, the make-up artist presented her with a shoe box. She opened them to find a pair of Reebok sneakers.

"You know, Kyoko-san," The make-up artist said thoughtfully when Kyoko stood before a full-length mirror. "I've heard about your ability as the transforming actress, but seeing it firsthand is incredible. You make a very cute boy,"

Kyoko felt her face get hot. "T-Thank you,"

The make-up artist laughed. "Enjoy your date with Fuwa-san,"

"IT'S NOT A DATE!"

* * *

><p>Yashiro-san scribbled madly into his organizer. He drew a loopy heart with the words "K FREE" with a saucy winking smiley on the slot next to the following day. He figured Ren would be annoyed to see "KYOKO IS FREE TODAY SO BUMP APPOINTMENTS AND JOBS TO MAKE ROOM FOR A (CLUMSY) DATE BETWEEN REN AND KYOKO."<p>

Yashiro-san had considered an acronym - KIFTSBAAJTMRFA(C)DBRAK, for example. But his hand started to hurt from all the letters, so he settled on "K FREE", which was much more mysterious and lightened his chances of Carpal Tunnel syndrome.

He looked up from his organizer to see the model working with Ren on a perfume commercial mince over to the handsome entertainer. She fluttered over him, much to Yashiro-san's outrage. The bespectacled manager was only assuaged when Ren politely, yet sharply rejected the wom- ("No -Hussy! That hussy!")

Ren combed his fingers through his dark, tousled hair. He walked over to his manager with an unbuttoned white shirt on, hard chest illuminated with body oil, looking for all the world like a lazy Roman god. His manager, however, saw the sulky young face of an unromantic.

Yashiro-san stiffened. Last night's rant turned today into one big awkward silence between the two; Yashiro stubbornly stuck by what he said while Ren brooded.

Yashiro squashed his fear and dread with the justification that as Ren's manager, talks like these were mandatory from time to time. Ren _needed _that. Definitely. In fact, in a couple of years short of a century, Ren would give his manager a well-deserved toast at his and Kyoko's wedding.

Though maybe that Visual Kei guy should get credit for being all up on Kyoko's case by giving her prolonged aphrodisiac-laced chocolates under the impression that they were from Kyoko's best friend. Yashiro had considered telling his charge, but what good would that do? If anything, that wuss would probably avoid her forever or demand the most expensive doctors from all around the world to pump Kyoko's stomach.

Yashiro couldn't decide which was worse.

"You know, Yashiro-san," Ren sat down next to him, with a sigh. "You don't need to keep coming up with code names. I've figured out what 'K FREE' refers to,"

The older man sniffed. "What if I like making code names?"

"You need a girlfriend,"

"And you need to listen to the things I say. I hope you took in what I said yesterday into consideration,"

"What? Oh, you mean about the part where you called me a woman?" Oh God no. It was the sparkly smile. "Or maybe the part where you said 'Fuwa Kyoko'?" Ouch. Did he say that? He didn't say that. _No, _Yashiro liked his job...

He strengthened his resolve with a chin raised. "Ren, sometimes we need to hear things we don't like to hear in order to -"

"It's okay, Yashiro-san," Ren chuckled softly. "I did take in to consideration what you said and you're right,"

"-make progress with her. I mean, for god's sake man, you've got glitter and body oil all over your f- wait, what?"

"You are right," The actor lifted his hands in surrender, though one hand self-consciously rubbed the shimmery oil on his high cheekbones. "If I want to make any progress with her, I'm going to have to be more aggressive,"

Yashiro clasped his hands together, tears glittering in his eyes. "R-Really? You're serious? You're going to finally do something manly?"

A tick formed by Ren's temple. "Yes, I am," With a small smirk, he added, "Watch me."

* * *

><p>"And just when I thought you had no sex appeal," Sho shook his head. "You manage to surprise me with how unfeminine you are,"<p>

"This was _your _idea, Shotaro," Kyoko seethed, arms crossed.

Sho was wearing a black wig with some very convincing facial hair. He rubbed his furry chin while eyeing the puffy white vest appraisingly. "I want that vest. Give it to me after you're done wearing it,"

"Buy your own vest!"

"I like those shoes, too. I don't think I have those yet,"

"Oi -"

"Are you wearing a bra? Because I'm pretty sure you won't need any chest binding with how boyish your body is," Sho's face suddenly started becoming red. He clutched his throat desperately.

"C...Can't b-b-brea...-!"

Kyoko Demons cackled happily as they coiled around his throat. _"If we break his windpipe, he'll stop breathing altogether..." _

The sinister gleam in Kyoko's gold eyes disappeared when she spotted a pair of peach heels in a window display. "Shotaro!" She pointed eagerly at the shoes. "You're buying those for me," Her finger dropped in slow-motion when she noticed the eggplant shade his face was taking. Sighing, she called the Grudges off.

"Why," He gasped, hands still around his neck. "Should I?" Sho breathed jerkily.

"_You_ invited _me_ to shopping. Plus, those shoes are beautiful, so you're buying them for me. Unless..." Kyoko trailed off, and promptly her Grudges began to choke him again.

"Okay, okay!" He sourly followed after her. A thought struck him and he grinned. "Hey, won't it look weird for a boy to be buying shoes?"

Kyoko froze (with the shoebox given to her by a harried assistant in her hands), then cooly said, "I am buying this for my girlfriend,"

"So you and your girlfriend have the same shoe size?" He toed the peach heel as Kyoko stood in them, making her wobble and menace her fist at him.

"Maybe," She snapped. She smiled brightly when the shoe fit. She waddled around, oblivious to the strange looks shoppers were giving the blonde boy toddling in pink heels.

Sho clamped his hand over his mouth, cheeks puffing. Kyoko should have reached his nose if only she knew how to walk in four-and-a-half inch heels. He grabbed her shoulder when she almost face-planted on him and laughed outright at her humiliated pink cheeks.

"I can walk in heels as Natsu, but these are higher than I've ever worn," She mumbled, disgruntled beyond belief. It was strangely hard to walk in heels when she wasn't in Naachan-mode.

Kyoko immediately began to mentally review what Tsuruga-san had taught her about cat-walking. She imagined the white line he had taped on his floor.

_Good posture, legs ahead of you, one foot in front of the other._

Kyoko didn't notice the crowd of shoppers giving her wide berth as she strutted the shit out of those cute peachy-pink heels. She unconsciously slipped her thin hands into the pockets of her white vest, paused, and jutted her hip out sassily before turning back around.

_"You can also bend your knees as you walk, like you're stomping the ground," _

Kyoko remembered popping a hand over her gaping mouth. "_Attitude!_"

_"That's the idea," _Tsuruga-san had laughed._ "Though it reminds me of how horses walk." _

A smile twitched her mouth up and warmed her eyes. Kyoko suddenly realized how deathly quiet was, and swiveled her head about. Sho was looking at her blankly, while the shoppers were all dumbfounded. Kyoko thought she heard lone clapping that awkwardly stopped when a slow-clap sequence didn't happen.

"Isn't that a boy?"

"Why is he walking in heels?"

"I don't know...but he's cute,"

"Kind of suits him, doesn't it?"

"Should we go talk to him?"

Kyoko quickly yanked the shoes off and shoved them at the singer, who stumbled back a bit. "Pay for those so we can leave," She shuddered when she felt the stares of various, starry-eyed girls on her back. "I don't like the atmosphere,"

Sho was pouting all the way to the counter. He pouted as he paid for the heels. He pouted as he walked out of the store, carrying the bag. He pouted until Kyoko spun on her sneakered heel and yelled, "Stop getting jealous of me getting more girls' attention than you!"

Actually, he kept pouting after that too.

Kyoko towed the pop-star in disguise into a high-end make-up store. She restocked on Natsu's stuff, amongst other things. She "ooh"ed and "ahh"ed over the swan-shaped "Odette" cosmetic Kyoko longed for. All the while, Sho did something that one crossdressing Kyoko recognized; Shotaro was repeatedly pursing his lips.

She had learned lots of things from living with the idiot for sixteen years, and one of those things was that he rubbed his lips together whenever he was impatient. It was a strange thing, she thought, since it almost looked like he was about to squeal about being annoyed and tired of waiting, but he was stopping himself from saying anything.

That was what was always strange about the little quirk; Fuwa Sho was never shy about speaking his mind.

That only meant that whatever it was that he was going to say was going to be bad.

Very bad.

Kyoko began to fidget with Odette in hand, shooting the impatient boy in question grumpy looks. Was it because he was tired of carrying her bags with his skinny arms? Or was it the fatigue from actually buying things for her?

She bit her bottom lip and ventured another look, but was met with a fierce glare.

"What are you looking here for?" He snapped, arms crossing over his chest defensively. "You're going to look like a fag,"

Kyoko bristled. _I think cat-walking in heels and buying make-up has done enough to do that job. _

"Hurry up. We have to go somewhere soon," Sho shook his arm so his watch fell to his wrist. He read the time and gestured impatiently for her to wait on line.

Kyoko swiped the credit card from his wallet with a cheeky grin. If rationed properly, all this make-up could last until next year. On top of that, she was pissing Shotaro off and wasting his money. Win-win!

_Just because we're 'friends' now, Shotaro, it doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to you. _

"Finally," Sho rolled his eyes when Kyoko dumped an armful of bags into his arms. He eyed them with dismay and said, "I'm leaving this shit in the car. We're going to another store,"

Kyoko stuck out her bottom lip, and nearby, a group of schoolgirls shrieked about a blonde bishounen. "But I thought we were going to stay in the mall,"

"I said I would take you shopping, but I didn't say we'd stay in the mall," He smirked down at her frustrated expression. "We're going to another store. You have a meeting,"

"I have a meeting? Shotaro, don't make decisions for me," Dark eyes hardened like flint.

He tried not to be intimidated by the blood-curdling glare she was drilling him with. Sho firmly kept his eyes locked on hers, and puffed out his chest. "I'm just introducing you to somebody. You'll thank me later,"

"Meeting who? Wait-"

* * *

><p>"This store,"<p>

"Mhm," The bastard looked downright pleased.

"This store," Kyoko repeated through gritted teeth. "is suspicious,"

The windows were tinted cherry red. Wiry neon letters crowned and named the store "MAGIC", with the "C" blinking in and out of neon-blue consciousness. Kyoko squinted at what looked alarmingly like a lamp shaped like woman's leg in a fishnet stocking.

"This...we're not meeting this person here are we?"

A slow smile crawled onto his face.

"Yes," Sho answered. "Yes it is."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**I am such a forgetful slut. I wrote the deadlines on my profile that I would update this story on the 16th, but I thought I was suppose to get a chapter out on the 14th. I felt bad about lying until I read the deadlines and realized I was supposed to have updated my other story, so I ended up updating this earlier and I have yet to update the other story and holy shit I need to stop writing run-on sentences.**

**I kinda-sorta got back into Skip Beat! (if my _new story _[ahem, shameless plug] 'January' has anything to say about that). Now I'm getting back out of it, but I still have something fun planned for the next couple of chapters. Still no real plot or conflict or Kyoko/Ren or Reino/Kanae but go lurk on my profile to see what deadlines I'll be setting. **

**In other news, I killed two centipedes. I drowned those motherfuckers in Raid. God I hate living on the first floor.**


	15. Kyoko Can't Drive

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat!

"Hey, Shotaro,"

"What?"

"What's that?"

"..."

"Shotaro. Hey. Shoooootarooo. What's that? And that? Why does this smell like...cherries?" Sniff, sniff. "This one smells like chocolate,"

"..." A tick was forming on his temple.

"Shotaro, buy this for me. I think it's lotion. It smells nice, but it has an interesting texture,"

"Kyoko, I am not buying you lube!"

Kyoko and Shotaro were in a sex shop.

Kyoko had had her suspicions the moment they neared the store, but upon entering 'Magic', her suspicions had been confirmed. She had been momentarily blinded with rage that he had taken her, _her, _Mogami Kyoko, to an adult store. Then a mischievous spirit possessed her to mess with him. She fluttered over various products, feigning naivety and making him uncomfortable. Kyoko wasn't completely innocent to these kinds of things; she had found dirty magazines under Sho's bed when she cleaned their old apartment. She had cherished her purity with self-righteous fury, but later succumbed to her curiousity and flicked through a few pages just to see what it was that interested Shotaro, and males in general, about naked ladies.

"Look," Sho spun around with a finger pointed at her nose, eyes narrowed. "We didn't come here to shop. I told you we were meeting someone,"

"Who said I wanted to meet this person anyway?" Kyoko asked belligerently.

Sho had a smug expression. "When you see who it is, you'll be thanking me,"

"Whatever," She muttered, though she was a bit curious.

They reached the back of the store. It was strangely absent of owners and shopping assistants and the like, though there was a strange looking machine at the back, with a life-sized plastic figurine of a naked woman. On her stomach, where her lady parts were supposed to be, was an intercom system with a red button in place of her belly button.

Sho leaned forward and pressed the button.

After a pause, a staticky feminine voice asked, "Password?"

"Maggy," Sho replied.

There was a buzzing sound. Sho pressed on the figure's stomach.

"Whoa!" Kyoko gasped as the floor began to surge. She realized that they were standing on a rotating platform. It stopped spinning once she was inside a dimly lit hallway with Sho.

"Step off it," He instructed. She did so, and the platform and the figure rotated once more until it was back to how it originally was.

"Where are we?" Kyoko looked around in awe. This was insane!

Sho grinned toothily. "This is where the cool kids come to unwind,"

"Cool kids?" Kyoko asked as Sho started to walk down the hallway. She caught up to his long strides and asked. "Do you mean celebrities?"

She took his silence as an affirmation. That was fine that he didn't feel like chatting anyway, because she wanted to stare at the doors they passed. All of the doors looked heavy, many of them with "Do not disturb" signs on the doorknobs. A few doors had small, tinted rectangular windows. Sho stopped at a windowless door and slid it open with a bang.

"Yo!" He called. Kyoko felt like she was punched in the face with the stench of cigarette smoke and alcohol. She gagged a little and blinked rapidly at her watering eyes as she tried to peer around Sho to see who he was calling to.

"Oh, Fuwa! What's up?" Kyoko watched a tall, long-haired woman strode over to Sho. She had her arms crossed, with a cigarette between her fingers by her elbow. The woman glanced at Kyoko and asked, "Did you want me to meet you boyfriend?"

"Believe it or not, this one's a chick,"

"Die," Kyoko seethed.

"Oh wow, that's some make over," She stared at Kyoko curiously as she casually put out her cigarette on Sho's jacket.

"I hate it when you do that!" Sho patted angrily at the burn on his jacket. "Anyway, she's meeting you-know-who, so make her up, will you?"

"Sure," The woman shrugged and gestured at Kyoko to come with her. "Come here,"

Kyoko felt small amongst the crowd of celebrities lounging around in clouds of smoke and she shrunk some more under the cool stares of her seniors. They were as beautiful and charismatic as they were in magazines and other media. She felt her breath catch as she caught sight of some of the celebrities present in this hidden lounging area.

"It's in here," The woman led her into a small room at the end of the lounging room.

"This is the second time this day I've had someone I don't know touch me so intimately," Kyoko admitted.

The woman smiled a little. "I'm Ryo. Now I'm not someone you don't know, right?" She pointed to an upholstered footstool. "Stand on this,"

Feeling a little less spirited, Kyoko mumbled a, "Yes, ma'am" and stepped up on it obediently. Ryo seemed to be mentally taking Kyoko's measurements, something that amazed Kyoko to no end. She motioned for Kyoko to step off and made her way to a chiffarobe in the corner of the room. Kyoko wondered why there was a dressing room in this secret celebrity hang-out, but chalked it up as another strange rich-people behavior she hoped to understand one day.

"The person you're meeting - it's a surprise, by the way - is kind of a pervert, so probably I should get you into something a little sexy," Ryo's voice carried as she searched through some hangers. "How about a dress, hm?"

Ryo came back with a pale pink affair, a dress that ended a bit early on Kyoko's thighs, but one that covered her chest, and then her arms in a long, lace sleeves. The back had criss-crossed strips of lace. "Wear this," She produced turquoise pumps and handed them to her. "And these. I'll get you out of that wig and fix up your hair and make-up once you're done."

While Ryo was doing Kyoko's hair, Kyoko asked, "How do you know Sho?"

Ryo shrugged at the mirror. "Met him a little bit after he debuted. He's kind of a dick, but he's a funny kid. Reminds me of my little brother," She glanced at Kyoko's face through the mirror. "Why? You like him or something?"

At Kyoko's aghast face, Ryo said, "Guess not. How do you know him then?"

"I'm a childhood friend. I came here with him when he got to Tokyo," Kyoko blew on her freshly painted nails as she carefully picked out her words. "We had a falling out, but I decided to forgive him,"

"That's mature of you, especially since you look really young. I don't have a hard time seeing that guy doing something to piss you off,"

"You think it was a good idea to forgive him?"

"Sure. Forgiveness isn't about, you know, letting him off the hook. It's about letting yourself off the hook. Know what I mean?"

"Yeah," Kyoko stood up as Ryo went to put down the hair tools that gave Kyoko big, bouncy sunset-colored waves. "Yeah, I know. I felt better after letting all those dark and angry feelings go. It was like a weight off my chest,"

Ryo nodded. "My big brother did something that pissed me the fuck off. Didn't speak to that asshole for the longest time. It sucked for me too, though, 'cause I missed him and I wanted to see him and talk to him again. So I was like, 'You know what? He messed up, but I'll forgive.' I let go of those shitty feelings," Ryo walked towards the door. "I saw him again a little while after that and he apologized to me sincerely. We've been good ever since,"

Kyoko exhaled shakily. "I'm glad to have talked to you about this. I was unsure if I made the right decision, especially since I met up with him so quickly after. I don't want him to go back to treating me like that again by just letting things go back to how they were before,"

"If he's making the same mistake, then you don't have to hang out with him," Ryo said. "He can stay out of your life if you think he's going to treat you like shit again. Speaking of the devil," Ryo sighed with her small smile. "The devil is impatient. It was nice talking to you, Kyoko-chan," She patted Kyoko's shoulders.

"It was a pleasure meeting you as well, Ryo-san," Kyoko watched her weave through the crowds, her long hair and her hips swaying as she left.

"Well? Let's go," Sho started making his way through the crowd as well.

"Wait!"

Kyoko picked up the pace, mindful of her heels, as Sho headed towards a set of double-doors. She noticed a crowd of celebrities milling around the door, most of them exiting.

"It leads outside," Kyoko said to herself. The gust of wind was a reprieve from the hot, stale, and polluted air that Kyoko had been breathing in for the past hour. She inhaled deeply, taking a cleansing breath, and exhaled loudly. When she opened her eyes, Kyoko gaped.

There was a giant racing track in front of her. Looking to the side, she saw the crowd of celebrities filing into some cushiony, upholstered bleachers, passing around some expensive liquor and assorted refreshments. She looked up at the sky, which had darkened completely. In this far-out area, the stars were free to shine without fear of being shown up by the city's light pollution. Kyoko saw that there was little beyond the racing track besides some rolling green hills and some water.

"It's nice, hm?" Sho nudged her, looking amused at her amazement. "Guess where we're going,"

"Um," Kyoko said uneasily. "The bleachers?"

"Oh, no. No, no, no we are not. We," His grin widened as he nodded over to the race track. "We are going to be racing,"

"No!"

"Yes,"

"But - But I got all dressed up and you said we were meeting someone so why are you taking to me the race track and oh my god is that a race car and isn't this illegal -"

"Breathe, Kyoko. One sentence at a time, alright? Anyway, whether this is legal or not isn't the matter here. We are meeting someone. In the race track, in a race car,"

"But Shotaro," Kyoko said miserably, digging her nails into her eye sockets. Sho whipped his head around to see if any other celebrities had heard her say his full name and gave her a mean look. She ignored it as she continued to wail, "Why? _Why_?"

"Just follow me. You won't regret it,"

"That's what you said last time," She deadpanned.

Sho flinched a bit, but looked at her face with determination in his eyes. "I'm making up for it, okay?"

Kyoko didn't look at him. She instead decided to ogle at a popular idol that Moko-san loved to make fun of hanging off a famous baseball player's arm drunkenly. Another famous athlete was climbing into a race car with a Visual Kei band member clambering noisily into the back seat.

"Here is our carriage, my lady," Sho announced drolly. Kyoko stared at the bright orange paint job with various logos eclectically slapped on it. She squinted at the figure in the driver's seat through the tinted glass, but couldn't quite make out the person.

"Get in," Sho opened the passenger's seat for her and Kyoko glared at him for his authoritative tone. She climbed in anyway. Sho opened the back seat door for himself and spread himself out comfortably.

The man in the driver's seat was an older man, with gray whiskers along his chin and jaw. He was wearing sunglasses, which irritated Kyoko, who saw no practicality in wearing dark glasses at nighttime. He had a full head of black hair and was wearing a suit, with a nice collar on his dress shirt and a long ribbon tied to the collar. What irked Kyoko the most, however, was that he was fast asleep.

"Excuse me," Kyoko said.

No response.

"Um, if you're going to be driving, you need to be awake. Also, please put on your seat belt. Sho, you need to put your seat belt on too," Kyoko dug around for her own seat belt.

Sho sneered as he shifted his head where it was being propped up by his elbow. "There are no seatbelts. That's what makes it fun,"

"That's what makes this dangerous!" Kyoko poked the man's neck and checked for his pulse. "He is alive, after all. Shotaro, why is he in the driver's seat? He's sleeping and he's not responding. Maybe he's fainted. Is there some water around here to wake him up? Look around for some water, will you?"

"Relax, Kyoko," Sho stretched languidly. "He'll wake up. Just tap him or something,"

"Excuse me, mister," Kyoko tapped his shoulder impatiently. She looked through the windshield. A tipsy idol was standing at the edge of the track with a small starting gun in her hand. "Pardon!"

"Ready!" The idol waved the pistol in the air and did a little dance. "Set!"

"OI!"

"Start~!" _Bang! _

The engine of the car roared. Kyoko shot back in her seat. The man in the driver's seat was wide awake, his foot on the gas as they flew through the track.

"Hello, pretty lady!" He boomed, his whiskered face shaking at the force of the wind through his open window. Kyoko hadn't noticed til her face felt like it was going to rip off that there weren't any windows in the cars either. "I am Kobayashi! Kobayashi Kenji!"

"The director!" Kyoko cried out, clinging to the car door for dear life.

"Yes! Sho-kun arranged a meeting for us!"

"Shotaro! Is this who I was supposed to meet?"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"I'm doing a movie and I wanted to meet you! I had you in mind to play my protagonist!"

"Watch out for that turn, Kobayashi-san!"

_Screech! _

"That was close! What kind of role are you think of for me?"

"It's a - WHOA, WHOA, GET OUT OF MY WAY, YOU SON-OF-A-WHORE - it's a darker role!"

Kyoko blinked through the tears burning in her eyes as she tried to stay upright and consider accepting this proposal for another dark role.

"You'll have to run it by Sawara-saaaa - AH! Kobayashi-san, WAKE UP!"

"Oh my shit, Kyoko! TAKE THE FUCKING WHEEL, KYOKO, TAKE IT!"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, SHOTA-AAAH!"

Sho grabbed Kobayashi-san's arm and jerked him back. "Oof! He's fucking fat! And he snores!"

"OH MY GOD SHOTARO WHAT DO I DO?"

"I thought you didn't want me to tell you - alright, alright, stop shoving that car freshner in my face - STOP! JUST GRAB THAT THING AND TURN IT SO WE MAKE THAT FUCKING CURVE GOD DAMN IT!"

_Screeeeech! _

"OH MY GOD SHOTARO WE'RE SPINNING!"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"Hm? Sho-kun, why am I your lap?"

"It's about time you woke up, old man! Get back there before she kills us!"

"Oh. Right. Excuse me, Kyoko-san,"

"...Kobayashi-san is an amazing driver," Kyoko croaked out hoarsely, her voice raw from screaming. She watched on in awe as he swiftly maneuvered the car back onto the race track and resumed driving at a break-neck speed.

"Jesus," Sho agreed shakily, his hands gripping the front seats.

Kyoko's pretty waves tumbled and knotted as the furious wind raged through it. She blinked through her hair and the wind and watched the beautiful starry sky spranning above her and breathed in the salty air from the surrounding body of water. It had been a while since she'd been out somewhere where the stars were visible.

She laughed out loud when Sho began name-calling and making faces at the other drivers and laughed harder when she saw the drunk idol from earlier trying to spit at Shotaro.

"Kyoko-chaaaan!" A familiar voice rang out above the squealing tires and shouting and hooting. "Kyoko-chan, you're a sluuuuuut!"

"Ryo-san!" Kyoko stuck her head out and saw Ryo in an older actor's lap in the back seat. "Ryo-san, you - you _smell_!"

"Ryo, you're too fucking old to be jail bait! Get off of that poor geezer's lap!" Sho roared and laughed at Kyoko's grinning face.

"Same to you, fat ass! Get off of Kobayashi's dick!"

"Why? Wanna hop on his next?"

"I disliked that one movie you did with the goblins!" Kyoko shouted at the driver of Ryo's car.

"Yeah?" The driver yelled back. "And who are you?"

_Who am I? I'm... _"I'm Kyoko!" And then, "Bitch!"

Ryo and Shotaro looked at her, shocked for moment, then busted out laughing.

The driver sped up ahead of them and let some fumes from the car hit Kyoko's face.

"Ugh! That bitch! Sir, you are a bitch!"

"Whoa!" Their car lurched forward when a car hit them from behind.

"Hey! HEY! Get out of our ass, you shithead!" Sho took his shoe off and hurled through the car's windshield-less windshield. "Haha! HAHA! HA! Nailed it!" He hooted when the shoe hit the driver square in the face.

Kyoko clutched her stomach at the look on the young producer's face. "Oh my go- his _face! _Ha!"

"_Don't stop me now_," Kobayashi-san hummed.

"Huh? Wait, weren't we on the race track a little while ago?" Kyoko blinked at her surroundings. They were traveling on a long, winding road. When she looked back, she saw the race track behind them. "What? WHAT? Shotaro, where are we?"

"Oh shit, oh shit, we're headed towards the highway," Sho matched her horrified face.

"_I'm gonna go, go, go, go, there's no stopping me~!" _

"Please, stop, Kobayashi-san!"

"OLD MAN!"

"_I wanna make a supersonic man out of you!" _

"Oh my _god _we're going to die!"

"Shut up, woman!"

"_Don't stop me noooow, I'm having such a good time, I'm having a baaaall-_"

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygodthepres identisgoingtokillmeohmygodI 'mgoingtolosemyjobohmygod-"

_SCREEECH!_

"You fucking turd! Why are we stopping in the middle of the highway!"

"He's asleep again," Kyoko moaned in agony, her nails digging into her eyes.

"Take the wheel!"

"But I don't have a licens-"

"TAKE IT!"

Kyoko began spinning the wheel blindly, hoping and praying to every god she knew of to get them off the road safely. She froze when a familiar silver sports car came into view. She squeezed her eyes shut and shrieked when she realized she was aiming straight for it.

"God damn it, Kyoko! Hit the brakes, I got the wheel,"

Kyoko mechanically moved into Kobayashi-san's lap and reached for the brakes desperately. She ducked when Sho's arm shot over her head to control the steering wheel.

_Screeeeeeeeech. _

Pony Note: lol most obnoxious chapter to date. So much cussin' and name callin' and screaming and tire-squealing and running sentences and onomatopoeia-ing. Also, I do not own Queen or "Don't Stop Me Now".

I haven't updated in like two years. But I am now a second-semester senior so yay free time! This is meant to be a fun and immature fic, so yeeeeah. Street-racing and secret celebrity hang-outs happen. Aren't you guys glad I didn't kill off Ren or put him in the hospital? But oh boy, will he be _pissed _in the next chapter. Oh boy.


	16. Haunted Pirate Ship

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat!

They didn't hit his car, much to Kyoko's overwhelming relief.

A jolt of fear went down her spine. "Aw, no," Kyoko whispered, voice whimpered a bit, wondering how she must have looked at that moment, with Shotaro basically on top of her head, and with her sitting in Kobayashi Kenji's lap, of all people and wearing a lacy little dress and a pair of heels and wild, tousled hair, of all things. She was basically sexy sandwich filling, Shotaro and Kobayashi-san being the bread.

"Aw, no, no, why did it have to be Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko trembled.

"You have shitty luck, that's why," Sho snorted into her hair.

"He's getting out of his car. Oh god, why is he doing that?" Kyoko watched, wide-eyed, stiff, and uncomfortable from bowing her upper body to accomodate Shotaro's arms over her shoulders.

Tsuruga-san's long, muscled frame appeared, as did the shorter frame of his manager. Tsuruga-san strided over to Yashiro-san's side and they exchanged words.

"I bet he's asking if Yashiro-san is alright," Kyoko said softly. She tried lip-reading, but she became terribly distracted by some of Tsuruga-san's usually neat hair falling over his eyes. His strong brow was hard over slate gray eyes and his mouth was in a thin line. Finally, he looked at them.

Tsuruga-san's eyes squinted, then widened as he recognized her bright orange head through the window-less windshield, the shade of her hair matching the obnoxious shade of the car. Then he began to approach.

"Oh no, oh no, oh my – Shotaro, get off,"

"Mmmf...fmm?"

"Oh my – my sincerest apologies, Kobayashi-san, I'm getting off – Shotaro! _Oh_, he's getting closer!"

Sho rested his chin on top of her head, his steady gaze on the man striding towards them in long, quick strides, his four-eyed manager on his heels.

"Mmmf! MMMF!"

"Seriously, get _off_! Kobayashi-san is having difficulty breathing and my neck hurts!" Kyoko tried straightening up by aiming her elbow at Shotaro's chin.

"Alright, alright," Sho replied coolly.

The other man had stopped in his tracks, right in front of their car. Slowly, Sho slipped his arms off of Kyoko, brushing his hands against her lace-covered arms as he returned to the back seat.

"Thank you," Kyoko grumbled and shifted off of Kobayashi-san's lap and to the passenger seat.

"Mmm..."

"OI!" Kyoko squawked at the hand that had passed over her rear. She glared heatedly at Kobayashi-san's sleepy smile. "You – you damn pig!"

"Let's rock and roll, baby!" He roared and gave Kyoko a squeeze to the rump before he slammed his foot on the pedal. "Rock and ROLL!"

"KOBAYASHI-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Tsuruga-san's eyes widened, quite literally like a deer caught in non-figurative headlights and jumped out of the way.

"Sayonara, Tsuruga Ren!" Kobayashi-san cackled as he sped past. With eyes gleaming wildly, he charged towards the silver sports car.

Yashiro-san screamed and flailed before he too jumped to the side of the road as Kobayashi-san flew _over _Tsuruga-san's car.

Kyoko's heart had dropped sharply and her stomach lurched and she choked on her breath and a scream. She clung desperately to the car door, eyes wide and body rigid.

Shotarou roared his approval and laughed maniacally in the back seat.

Their modified orange vehicle slammed back down, jerking its passengers out of their seats. They all bounced up and down in their seats.

"Woo!" Kobayashi-san wooped as he accelerated the car, giving Kyoko whiplash as her body jerked back in her seat. "Viva la BOOTY!"

"Viva la BOOTY!" The singer agreed, laughing merrily as he bounced in the backseat.

_"__What does that even mean?"_ Kyoko wailed, shaking from head to toe.

Sho looked over his shoulder and his jaw dropped. "Holy cocksucking shit," He exclaimed. "Tsuruga Ren is tailing us!"

"_What does it all mean?_"

"Why the hell is he chasing us?" Sho glared at the silver car and then looked accusingly at his childhood friend. "Hey, stop freaking out," He flicked her forehead.

"Your girlfriend is chasing us," He turned Kyoko's head towards the back and sure enough, Tsuruga-san was speeding after them, almost rivaling Kobayashi-san's driving skills.

Yashiro-san was freaking out as well, Kyoko observed. His arms were flapping and his glasses were flashing as they reflected the passing streetlights.

Sho paused with a thoughtful look on his face. He reached down and grabbed Kyoko's ankles and swung them into his lap.

"Shotarou!"

He plucked her heel off and hurled it out the windowless back window...right at Tsuruga-san's windshield. He missed.

Kyoko gaped at Sho before calmly removing her other heel and not so calmly lunged at Sho like a snake. Aim for the eyes, ladies. "YOU'RE SO STUPID! YOU ARE A TERRIBLE EXCUSE OF INTELLIGENT LIFE FORM! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Oh," Kobayashi-san took his eyes off the road and back to Kyoko's wiggling butt. He smiled upon it gently and petted her. "For me, this is enough to make me a happy booty warrior,"

"VIVA LA BOOTY!" A feminine voice yelled.

"Yo, Ryo!" Sho waved to the woman, who was now driving in an empty, equally obnoxious-colored racecar.

"Don't touch me!" Kyoko shoved her other foot at Kobayashi-san's head while maintaining her eye-stabbing stance with Sho.

"Are you going where I hope you're going?" Ryo asked as she pulled alongside their car.

"Yup," Sho smirked and leaned back comfortably in his seat, having seized Kyoko's shoe and chucking it out the window _again._

"Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko cried. This time, the heel made contact with his windshield and cracked it.

And this time, Kyoko didn't miss either. Nails work well in eye-poking procedures.

llllllllllll

"Re-_en_!" Yashiro helplessly glued himself to the car door. "Ren, what the hell are you doing right now! You're speeding! Tailing another vehicle! You...you are chasing Kyoko-chan," The manager blinked. "This...this wouldn't happen to be you 'being a man', would it?"

"Hm?" Ren's face was alarmingly calm compared to his tense body language. "I suppose it is,"

The bespectacled man slumped in his seat, staring at the orange vehicle in front of them. The windshield was cracked, but not broken, thanks to Fuwa Sho. Yashiro cursed the day the boy was born. The stars must have aligned over some demonic ritual to summon evil in human form and that was how Fuwa Sho was brought into the world.

"They're likely going there," The actor mused quietly to himself.

"_There_? With Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro's voice grew faint at the idea of Kyoko in _that _place with Ren _and _Sho.

Yashiro slumped further. "I give up."

llllllllllllllllllllllllllll

"We're here," Sho announced. He was only a little wobbly as he sauntered out of the backseat, hair tousled.

Kyoko breathed deeply, trying not to throw up. She was glad she hadn't eaten in a while. Ugh.

Kobayashi-san was also amazingly graceful and adjusted his sunglasses as he walked forwards. "Oh, _this _place,"

It was a pirate ship. Tattered, grimy gray sails and a creaking wooden body that wheezed like a dying old man. The water was bright in the darkness and the waves made a calm sound as they lapped the shore and the ship. It looked...

"Haunted," The orange-head whispered.

"It's not," Sho place a hand on her shoulder and pushed her forwards.

"Haunted," she insisted.

"Maybe," Kobayashi-san shrugged.

"Don't worry," Ryo smiled at Kyoko. "It's been around for a while -" _Yes, Kyoko could see that -_ "but there haven't been any problems. It's popular amongst celebrities. They fund the place to keep it looking creepy and in such an obscure spot,"

"I said it once, I'll say it again. Rich people are strange," Kyoko sighed.

"Get with it, Kyoko. You're going to be a celebrity, aren't you? And you're plenty strange as is," The blonde musician grinned and they stepped inside.

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

"Ugh," Kanae rolled onto her stomach. She was feeling hot and hungover. Her back was pressed up against a warm and hard chest, a nose buried in her neck. She did not want to open her eyes.

A hand snaked over her waist and tugged her so her butt were pressed into his hips. She glanced down. Black nail polish and rings on his fingers...damn it.

He ground his crotch into her and that was when Kanae decided she was done.

"None of that," she hissed as she rolled out of his arms and off of the bed. Her balance was off, so she ended up on her behind. The room was dark, since the curtains were heavy and black, but she could easily see the leader of Vie Ghoul peering down at her with one eye blearily open. His hair was messed and unstyled for once. Cute.

"Get back in bed," He demanded.

Kanae ignored him, looking around for her clothes. She spotted his boxers by the foot of the bed, but it was difficult to see much else with how dim the lighting was.

"Kanae," Reino's voice sounded grumpy and gravelly from sleep. He raised his arms at her like a petulant child wanting to be picked up. "Come here,"

Aha! Her dress. She could make do without her underwear, she supposed.

"_Kanae,_" Now he was whining and wiggling his fingers. Ugh. "No. _No_. Don't get dressed,"

"I'm leaving," She announed curtly, pulling her fingers through her hair to neaten it.

Reino's eyes widened and he sat up quickly. His chest and arms were covered in tattoos. Kanae looked away when he yanked the sheets away from his hips. Yeah, she had enough of _that _even if her memory was hazy.

She made it to the door, ready to step into her heels and out of this place, when he hugged her from behind.

"Why are you being so cuddly?" She asked angrily. "I don't like you,"

Reino pressed his nose into her neck. "Come back to bed," he murmured. He tightened his grip around her waist when she struggled.

"No. This happened once and it won't happen again," she declared, moving her face away when he brushed his lips against her cheek.

Kanae screamed when he swiftly picked her up with his scrawny arms (she underestimated the strength in them) and dropped her back into the bed. He got on top of her, his chin between her breasts as he glared up at her. "I want it to happen again. And again. And again,"

She ripped out his earrings when he nuzzled her breasts and hugged her torso tightly. He didn't even wince. "Kanae, please. Let's cuddle,"

"You're so weird," Kanae huffed, glaring down at his head.

"Why do you keep fighting me?" His eyes were levelled to hers, his face straight and his mouth tense, all signs of playfullness gone.

Kanae frowned at the whiplash of his mood swings. "You're weird. You sexually harass me. I don't even know you," She listed off, watching his face becoming blanker with each word.

"If...I were to-" He looked away and shoved his fingers into his hair. Reino sighed and looked back at her. She stared back, with her standard annoyed face combined with a raised brow.

"What?"

He let out a humorless chuckle and gave her a forced smirk. "You're right," He pressed his mouth against her collarbone. "But you don't need to like me or know me to fuck me,"

Kanae bit down on her lip, eyes narrowed. She'd been intimate with ex-boyfriends before. She hadn't paid mind to men since she finally got her career going, more or less. They were distracting and needy and just caused her unnecessary stress. _No one _was going to get in her way of succeeding as an actress.

She pursed her lips and stared at the beauty mark under his eye."What are you suggesting?" She finally asked, looking warily at him.

Reino sat up and scratched his cheek. He stared back at her coolly. "Sex friends,"

She sucked in her cheek, eyes trailing down his chest and abdomen and to the sheets clinging to his hips. He was attractive, she had to admit, and it _had_ been a while and she didn't really remember much of what he was like last night...but he was so weird and annoying. Kanae clicked her tongue. As long as it was a no-strings attached affair, she didn't mind _that_ much. "Just don't be a bother. Don't call me or act like an attention-starved puppy,"

"Likewise," Reino replied, voice flat and bored as he glanced at his phone, taking in the time and checking for missed calls and texts. His real manager had texted him his schedule for the day. Reino tossed the phone at Kanae with the text messenger open, yawned, and headed for a shower.

She grumbled and took in his schedule. The president really did expect her to be his temporary manager. Kanae stretched her arms, hearing some satisfying cracks as she looked at herself in Reino's full-length mirror. The narcissist had a mirror all across the wall opposite his bed, as well as a vanity and a full-length one. She imagined the mirror-wall across the bed was for...kinky purposes. Gee, now she was a bit curious...Kanae touched the love bites (_because of course he was a biter_) on her neck and chest. She found some on her hips and thighs as well. Now she was really curious. Damn. He was acting pissy now, though. Why did he look so serious before he asked her to be sex friends? Asking her so abruptly like that. Hmph!

Kanae pulled opened the curtains and shrieked at the sight of shrunken heads decorating the window sill and what looked a lot like blood stains in his carpet.

Somehow, she felt like she'd made a big mistake. Kanae rubbed her temples and sighed. The actress had never been much of a drinker. She looked at the mussed sheets and her clothes scattered on the floor, leading a trail from the door to the bed. What the hell happened last night?

-the night before-

"So romantic," Kanae scoffed. "A haunted pirate ship,"

"Did you want romance?" Reino smiled at her (ew) and hooked her arm through his. "We came here for fun. It's part of my schedule,"

Unbelievablyenough, Reino's manager (vacationing on some island with his wife) _had_ included "fun" in his schedule.

"He doesn't want me to be stressed," Reino had explained. Why did his manager have to be so nice?

She looked skeptical until they climbed aboard. Inside, strobe lights flashed, bartenders worked busily, and there were even bar maids dressed up as pirates, ruffled cream shirts and parrots and eyepatches and all. Club music played loudly and Kanae gaped at the number of people on the dance floor. There were couples cuddled in private booths and groups of people laughing and drinking.

"It's so..." she blinked at the scene and then at Reino. "...not you,"

"I go clubbing," he insisted with a frown.

"You seem like the type to write poetry in graveyards at midnight," she muttered, her voice lost in the sound.

"Let's drink," he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bar.

Reino ordered a pink drink with an umbrella for himself. She laughed at him and ordered the same thing. She really wasn't into hard drinks.

"I am underage, Shotar – ow! Don't pinch me. That's your name. Accept it! Shota – ugh!" That voice. Kanae narrowed her eyes. That voice sounded an awful lot like -

"As long as you know the right people, your age doesn't matter," A loud male voice said.

"Oof! I'm so sorry," a bright orange head bowed to Kanae. The brunette shifted her feet after the girl had stepped on them. She stared intently at her.

"Kyoko?" Kanae said.

"Moko-san?" Kyoko's face turned up at her best friend's voice. "Moko-san, it's you!"

Kanae wrinkled her nose at her. "What are you doing here? Go home,"

The younger girl looked hurt as she took the seat next to Kanae. The other seat was occupied by the Visual Kei artist, but Kyoko only had sad, watery eyes for Kanae.

"I-I know I'm underaged, but don't be so cold to me," she whined.

"Kyoko," Fuwa Sho flipped his blonde hair back as he approached the girls. His eyes briefly flickered to Kanae and he gave her a nod in greeting before turning to Kyoko. "Kobayashi is usually more coherent once he has a drink or three in him. Don't know how that works, so don't ask. You can ask him about the movie then,"

He nodded towards the sunglasses-wearing director doing shots.

"I'm talking to Moko-san right now," Kyoko said, no room for argument implied from her tone. She waved him away.

Sho looked like he wanted to drag her away from Kanae but made a diry face at the older woman and ordered a drink.

Kyoko swung her feet happily. "It feels like I haven't seen you much late-" she stopped talking, eyes glued to the dark figure next to her bestie. "Beagle," she gasped.

He smiled at her (ew) but otherwise seemed more interested in keeping Kanae's drink full.

"LoveMe duties, remember?" Kanae said dryly, swirling her glass.

"Oh right," Kyoko smiled absently. Suddenly, she paled. She clung to Kanae's arm and stared deep into her blue eyes. "Moko-san, I need help. Advice, I mean,"

Kanae contemplated shaking her off, but decided it was too much work. The alcohol was getting to her. She regarded the younger girl with her mouth in a thin line. "What did you do now?"

"I almost killed Tsuruga-san," she mumbled, slumping onto the bar counter, amber eyes downcast.

"Wha –" She looked gravely at Kyoko. "There's a story behind this, yes?"

"Moko-san!" Kyoko wailed. "That's not the worst of it! We-We skipped work to play in the arcade! The director and the entire cast chewed us out, but mostly me because I'm the newbie and I cried because I was disappointed in myself," she sniffed. "A-And we've kissed, like a bunch of times and maybe even more but I drank too much to remember what we did. Ah – I drank! I'm underage and I drank hard liquor! But more importantly, it feels like when things like that happen, it's like somebody else is controlling my body or something,"

"You don't say," Kanae muttered, feeling slightly guilty. She was an accessory to Kyoko's current predicament, though it was mainly the stupid creep's fault that Kyoko was having some kind of sexual awakening.

She fixed a reassuring look on her face. "Kyoko, it's not unusual to be intimate with someone you like. It's normal,"

"Excuse me?" Kyoko leaned back as far as she could from Kanae, looking betrayed. "Who do you think I am, Moko-san? _Intimacy? Before marriage? _And who says I like him? Not me!"

Kanae rolled her eyes. "You would do things like that with someone you didn't like?"

"I don't want to love anyone," Kyoko said stubbornly.

"Mo, I thought you forgave Fuwa and moved on?" Kanae scoffed and tipped back her drink. "He hurt you, yes, but not every person you like will,"

"That's easy to say," she replied sourly.

"Nothing good is easy in this life," Kanae remarked sagely. "Tsuruga Ren is a step up from that obnoxious guy, if barely. And he likes you a lot, even though you're a lunatic,"

"_Moko-san,_"

"I know you're a very conservative person and you feel uncomfortable with your actions. I guess it'll take some time getting used to doing sexual things, huh,"

Kyoko clamped a hand over Kanae's mouth, blushing deeply. "Mo, Moko-san, you're so bold! That sounds like something American-like Tsuruga-san would say.

"That's all I have t' say," she slurred. "Take it or leave it. Accept that new side of you or don't. Your choice,"

Kyoko frowned at a peanut dish and looked up when there was murmuring from the crowd.

"Speak o' the devil," Kanae leaned on Reino's shoulder, eyes half-lidded.

Kyoko gulped at his tall frame sweeping over the crowd, dark hair messy and shirt unbuttoned at the top. "I'm not ready," she cried.

Sho and Ryoko were talking when Kyoko grabbed Sho's elbow. "Let's go,"

"We just got here," he said and returned to his conversation.

"Sho-ta-r-"

"_Fine_. Buzzkill," He let himself be led by her.

"Is there anywhere we can hide?"

"What the hell are you hiding for?" he cocked a brow and glanced back. His eyes widened at the sight of Tsuruga Ren calmly ordering a drink. Then he smirked. "I see,"

"See what?" she snapped. "Move your ass,"

"Hm, maybe I should just let him sue you. Driving a car so recklessly and without a license," Sho shook his head disdainfully at her.

_I'm not really worried about _that.

_**Relax, babe**__. _

Kyoko shuddered at the sound of that sultry voice. _It was..._

**_Sex Kitten! That's right, baby! I'm back. _**

_Oh God._

_**Oh yeah. Don't worry, **_she drawled, tossing her hair back_. __**If that shitty punkass Emperor of the Night shows up, **_her eyes blazed._** I'll destroy him.**_

_Kitty, I'm not trying to...destroy him. I just want to figure out what our relationship is now that you're in the equation, mucking things up! _

She huffed. _**Well! Is this the thanks I get for trying to advance your relationship? Give you a sex life? **_

_I don't want a sex life! Mo! I'm waiting for that once I'm married, if I ever want a man in my life. Bunch of hedonists, all of you. Even Moko-san. _

_**She's definitely getting some from that Golden Retriever guy. **_

_Beagle, _Kyoko corrected peevishly.

_**Whatever. Look, just go with the flow. Accept that the relationship is changing. **_

_Because of you, not me. I haven't even decided if I really like Tsuruga-san like that. I'm attracted to him because well, he's Tsuruga Ren. _

Sex Kitten nodded in agreement.

_But we've done things to change our previous senpai-kohai relationship. You, specifically, were doing all of _that _stuff. _

_**Kyoko, I am you. A part of you. You're so in denial about anything romance-related you can't even tell that you like the punk. You could be having lots and lots of sex, you know. **_

_Is that what Tsuruga-san wants? _

She shrugged, hair slipping over her bare shoulders. _**Lots and lots of sex? Probably. With you? That, I do not know. I'm not in his head. I'm in yours. Ask him yourself. **_

Kyoko sighed. _Moko-san said to accept you and my...se-sex-sexuality. _

_**I know. I was there. **_

Kyoko sighed again.

_**Look, if you're looking for a second opinion, you're wasting your time. We're telling you the same thing. Stop stalling and talk to him, clear things up. You're not a coward. **_

"Up here," Sho gestured at a spiraling staircase going up.

Kyoko gulped, wringing her skirt. "Actually, never mind. I need to talk to Tsuruga-san,"

Sho scowled. "Tch. Just make sure you see Kobayashi tonight," A pretty idol smiled at the handsome blonde from the top of the staircase. He grinned at her. "I'm going to have some fun,"

She frowned at him (hedonists! Each and every one of them!) and turned back towards the bar.

Steeling her resolve with a deep breath, Kyoko started walking towards Tsuruga Ren.

What she didn't know was that Reino had slipped a little something-something into a certain actor whose name rhymes with Shmuruga Shmen...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Been a while! I'm hoping to wrap this baby up in a few more chapters. I'm on break finally, so I've got free time now yaaaay. **

**I've also got a tumblr! How exciting! link on my profile, check it. **


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